One Little Consequence
by Simplywaters
Summary: Discontinued. Originally was a story about Hinata finding a way to join Naruto's genin team, has since spiraled out of control, crashed, and burned to death.
1. Chapter 1

July 2012 edit:

Hello and welcome to 'One Little Consequence' (OLC in my notes from now on). If your seeing this story for the first time I hope you enjoy, though I'll warn you ahead of time it will be mostly cannon rehash till chapter 5-6 (Sorry, I did add a few things and try to make it more enjoyable but I needed to cover this material for my story) after that it will be quite different.

Returning readers will find a few extra lines here and there but nothing drastic (tried to clean up a little of my spelling/grammar as well). I kept the 2 Flashbacks I had in there but WILL NOT be adding any more. Ever. I think. Probably. Don't quote me.

Aug 2012 edit:

NEW INTRO! Returning readers will find the second half mostly unchanged (once again, few lines here and there), but the first half is brand-new! Please let me know what you think. Also for a while there might be a few continuity issues with the future chapters (I'm working on that as we speak), but that should be cleared up soon.

Anyway, on to the story:

Talking

**Shouting/Inner voice**

_Thoughts/flashback_

I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.

* * *

"Touching is for buying customers only!"

An small blonde in an orange jumpsuit visibly cringed and glanced at the much larger shopkeeper across the small stand. Not seeing any compassion in the older mans eyes the blonde gave the black hoodie one last forlorn glance. With a heavy sigh he then hunched his shoulders and shuffling towards the door as inconspicuously as possible.

"That's right, get out of here you miscreant. And don't you come back!"

Grit teeth ground mercilessly together as the tips of blue sandal's reached the door frame. More jeers and taunts could be heard from the sparse patrons directed towards the boy. When the praise of the shopkeepers 'heroic' and 'dashing' acting started the boy visibly rocked, tiny hands vibrating with the effort to contain himself.

"Look! It forgot how to use the door." some random shopper called from a rack of sun-dresses.

"Would you just get out of my store you brat!"

"Do you think it understands us?"

"Why don't you just leave?"

"Yeah, leave and never come back!"

Shaggy blonde hair covered sky-blue eyes, eyes that didn't shed tears easily anymore. Slowly the small head turned to something hidden from the villagers by the wall.

"If they attacked me would you help me?" it's voice was tiny compared to the vast roaring of jeers and taunts from within the store.

"Would you, Crow?" as the boy whispered again the shops owner, filled with greater boldness by his fellow maliciously inclined clientele, stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder.

"I said I want you OUT!" a harsh smack of a heavy backhand against a tender cheek rang through the store. Afterwards a small gold and orange figure was launched into the dusty street, tumbling along the ground till it lost it's momentum.

"Crow, their hurting me." the boy pleaded, curling into a ball as the civilians of Konohagakure parted around him like water around a rock.

The owner of the store, filled with righteous satisfaction turned to re-enter his realm, only to freeze in shock at the black cloaked figure that crouched just beside the door. A bone-white mask shaped like a crow the only spot of color that could be seen.

"A-ANBU..." the man whispered in awe and fear.

"C-Crow..." daring to glance over his shoulder the shopkeeper felt horror at his actions for a moment, but it quickly passed as the subject was... It.

Blood dripped from split lips and tears stood out plainly on an expressive face with whisker-like birthmarks. Small hands stained red tried to stem the tide from their owners nose and lips, though it was a loosing battle and a few drops had splattered on the front of his jacket. It was the eyes that had invoked the shopkeepers momentary pity. Eyes that showed how deeply, irrevocably hurt the boy was by his actions. As the older man turned away his gaze once again landed on the silent ANBU who hadn't moved so much as a muscle.

The ANBU were the strongest arm of the Hokage, the mighty ninja ruler of Konoha. His 'Special Assassination and Tactical Squad' were hand-picked, many at a younger age then the blonde bleeding in the street. Once picked they were groomed to be the best of the best in a village prided for it's strength. This meant they were all equivalent to at least a jonin, the highest rank given to rank-and-file shinobi, in power.

There was always an ANBU with it, either to protect them from it, or to protect it from them. If the ANBU decided to kill the shopkeeper because of his actions he would, and nothing would ever be said about the matter after he filed his report. They were given the rights of judge, jury, and executioner in acting in the Hokages interests since the Shinobi police had been disbanded and only reported to the village leader. Most villagers never saw an ANBU, of those that did the percentage that lived was noticeably smaller then those that died. Since he was still alive the shopkeeper assumed he would be part of the former.

Emboldened by that reasoning the owner of the store sauntered back through the door, turning his head in the ANBU's direction for one last sentence.

"Make sure you keep him away from here in the future."

As his eyes returned to the front the man felt his bowels loosen as a white mask came into view, barely a hairs-width from touching him.

"Make sure you watch your words in the future." rough and gravelly the words filtered out from behind the mask. "I am not your watchdog. I care not for the boy, but do not mistake that apathy towards it as sympathy for you."

A crushing sensation landed on everyone in the store as the ANBU finished his sentence. Some having trouble breathing, others crying uncontrollably, and the owner felt a pounding desire to throw himself onto the ground and beat his head there till it exploded. For a full thirty seconds the pressure forced the civilians into the floorboards, then it dissipated like a bad dream. When the first to raise their head managed to look around the black-cloaked ANBU was gone. Nothing was left to signify they ever existed in the first place.

As soon as they were able the patrons evacuated the building, their shopping could be done in less memorable places. The owner merely watched with glassy eyes, lost profits forgotten in the sweet rush that came with the knowledge he had indeed joined the smaller percentile.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"I hate you." he couldn't see him, but the blonde knew the man was lurking in the area. They always lurked, even though everyone knew they were there, it seemed awfully silly to the boy.

"I said 'I hate you'." he stated again, louder this time. Once again his only response was silence.

Scuffing the dirt the blonde looked about the unused training ground again. A few battered dummies, a pair of lopsided targets tacked to a tree, and a small pile of aged and rusting ninja tools. All of it was his, and altogether it was probably the majority of what he owned. He had been replacing and cobbling together this little training area since he joined the academy, almost five years ago.

"Dog at least didn't let them hurt me..." the boy mumbled as he wiped an already red-streaked sleeve under his nose, wincing as the split skin on his lips voiced its displeasure at the contact. The bleeding had stopped quickly, but it was still tender.

Dog had been his second shadow, at least from what he could remember, and had probably been the best. All three others had only stepped in when things got out of hand, but were fine letting the villagers get harsh words or the occasional slap in on the boy. Dog still didn't do anything about their words, but the minute he had taken over the villagers had learned not too get touchy with the ANBU's blonde ward. It seemed Crow would be more along the lines of the other three, only slightly removed from the rest of the village that tormented him without pause. In that case the blonde knew exactly how to deal with him.

He would ignore him. Completely.

He had learned that from the rest of his shadows, Dog being the sole exception as he had at least let the blonde see him nearby most times, they would never play or talk with him no matter how hard he tried or loudly he cried. He instead ignored them to the best of his ability, which meant they might as well not exist at all.

"I'll get you back when I'm the Hokage! You won't be able to ignore me anymore then, stupid Crow. If I don't then I'm not Uzumaki Naruto!" feeling slightly better Naruto turned towards the dummies, it was time to get back to training!

"Right, first I'll do like a hundred punches, then a hundred kicks, then... then.. uh.." trying to remember the academy routine that his academy teacher Mizuki had him sit out more often then not the blonde scratched his head.

"Was it run the circle ten times or do situps? Or maybe sparring? Or..." sighing Naruto sat down and started scribbling in the dirt with a stick, trying to work out the rarely seen routine in his head.

Scribbled exercises eventually drifted into looping lines, which shifted into doodles, and soon Naruto was engrossed in drawing in the dirt. Hopping to his feet he started to shift about so he could expand the drawing, which was slowly turning into a _rough_ interpretation of the Hokage mountain. Once he finished the basic sketch Naruto started adding doodles and swirls onto the 'faces' he had drawn. Half-an-hour later Naruto tossed his stick aside and eyed his masterpiece with pleasure.

"Totally looks more awesome this way. Old foggies look better with tattoos!" a few more minutes of admiring his work quickly exhausted Naruto's patience, the mostly destroyed list of exercises came into view and the boy slapped his forehead. Filing the idea away for later contemplation Naruto turned to face his 'acquired' training implements.

"Crap! Suppose to be training!" launching himself at the nearest dummy Naruto threw himself into a whirlwind of punches and kicks, even biting the dummy on one occasion when it seemed like a good idea.

Eventually his arms grew heavy, his knuckles and shins too sore to keep up his frenzied pace, and Naruto let his body fall into a heap before the smug dummy. Panting the boy ran a bruised hand through his golden hair and looked up at the drifting sun. Early afternoon on a Sunday, it had gotten terribly hot since he started his training. Shrugging out of his orange coat Naruto glared at the dummy for a moment before a rather sharp throb from his leg prompted a sigh.

"Boring..." he mumbled, it really was no fun training alone. At least at the academy, when he managed to stick around for the whole class period, there were other people to interact with.

Sure his classmates didn't really hang out with him outside of class, but at least they interacted with him at all. That already made them more important to Naruto then any of the civilians or teachers who couldn't seem to be rid of him fast enough. That of course brought him back to the most recent adventure he had shopping.

Today was one of the exceptional days, meaning instead of flat out ignoring him the civilians had decided to vocally mock him. Actually it was probably the worst day in a long time, as he probed his split lip. Physical abuse was rare, most people seemed to do everything they could to avoid him. Once in a while in October they were different, but even then it wasn't more then a few rowdy drunks getting a little pushy. His shadows showing up made people sober up and clear out even faster then his usual presence did too average people.

"I should get him back." the thought sparked a brief image of ripping the shopkeepers throat out, but Naruto shook that off and started scheming.

If there was one thing Naruto was good at, it was pranks. He had been doing them almost his whole life just to get something other then cold indifference out of the people around him. A stuck up merchant who acted too good to even breath the same air as Naruto quickly changed their tune after getting hit with a water balloon and then covered in flour. Then they were only too happy to chase him around till they collapsed huffing and puffing. It was the closest thing Naruto ever got to playing with another person so of course he made sure to do it often and always with a new twist, just to keep them on their toes.

Now the only question was how would he get this civilian back for his snobbish behavior?

For a full five minutes Naruto didn't move. Then a snicker that many would cringe at started to work it's way out of his throat. The chuckling soon grew into a full out belly laugh as Naruto threw his head back.

People would remember this day for a long, long time.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"_As a ninja in training of Konoha, you are bound by the same rules as active shinobi. Most notable the fact that you are to protect the citizens of Konoha, not torment or abuse them with your power. To that end you are not allowed to harm citizens of Konoha. The only exception to this rule is the Hokage's ANBU, but even they can be punished for excessive use of their power. With that in mind make sure you __never use your abilities on a citizen of Konoha, be that any taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, or kenjutsu you may learn through your career. We are the shield and sword of Konoha, not it's tyrants."_

Words from the first day of academy, they always rang in his mind right before a major prank. He had never broken that rule, not once had he ever laid a hand on the citizens who ignored him. But the rule didn't _specifically _say he couldn't toss a double hand-full of mixed smoke and stink bombs into their home. Gleefully watching as the thick, rotten smoke billowed out the window he had jimmied open Naruto went and sat down just outside the front door to a certain shopkeeper's home.

As the older man shoved the door open and threw himself out into the fresh air Naruto smiled even wider as he pulled the thin line of ninja-wire that rested on the ground before him. The reward was a full bucket of glue dumping all over the coughing man, rapidly drawing his attention to the golden-haired prankster crouching almost in arms reach.

"Hi!" Naruto said with a cheeky grin.

"Y-YOU!" the man roared, spitting a glob of glue the man struggled to his feet and launched himself at the crouching boy.

"Opps!" with a sing-song voice Naruto easily evaded the grasping fingers and skipped off down the street. "Silly me, leaving that bucket of glue there, let me grab some water for you."

"Brat!" shaking some of the sticky substance from his clothing the beleaguered man struggled to catch up to his assailant.

"All I wanted to do was maybe pick up a new top. I'm gonna graduate in a couple days." the boy spoke, seemingly to no-one, even as he ducked out of the mans arms again. "Iruka was saying something about orange maybe not being the best color if I wanna make a good impression to my Jonin Sensei. I said he was crazy, orange is like the best color ever! Anyway, I was just looking around for fun."

"I... Don't... Care." the panting man shouted as he continued to swipe at the retreating figure before him, not noticing the growing crowd following them.

"So I go to a pretty decent looking store, you know, the kind where they have what you need if not what your looking for exactly right?" still speaking to no-one specific Naruto danced slightly to the left and right, always just out of reach.

"STOP MOVING!"

"So I get in there, then notice I forgot my cute little froggy at home!" Naruto reversed his facing, holding up a frog wallet up before the mans eyes as he continued to stay out of the way of grabby hands.

"Fuck your froggy."

"So just as I realize this some big shot decides to get mouthy and yell at me then get all touchy." Naruto tucked his wallet back into his pocket, shifting his hands behind his head and smiling. "Funny thing was I probably would have come back and bought a jacket until he decided to make an ass of himself. Now instead I get to show everyone his true _feathers_." As the last word rang out Naruto crossed a trip-wire he had set up, dumping a large pile of multi-colored feathers all over the pair of them.

"But I'm not quite done there you see." Naruto smirked as he shook off the poultry remains. "See, now I'm gonna race back to your house, lock the door, then disappear while your walking around the red lantern district dressed as a chicken. Have fun!" With that the blonde zipped off down the street, leaving a sputtering, crying man covered in feathers and glue in the middle of the busiest street of the early evening.

"And don't forget people!" the blonde shouted from a corner, striking a pose. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Prankster extraordinaire and future Hokage! Believe it or feel like a jack-ass later!"

"I never break the rules Old Man." Naruto whispered as he turned away from the grumbling crowd, "But sometimes a guy has to get even you know?" ducking down an alley Naruto continued his swift pace, shifting around the garbage that littered the ground.

"I wonder what I should do tomorrow?" a stored memory popped into his head and Naruto felt a fresh smile coming on.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

Naruto's first conscious thoughts didn't actually hit him until he had turned off his alarm-clock and started boiling water for his daily breakfast of instant ramen. His split lip from yesterday had disappeared, leaving his skin pink and healthy once again. Frowning at the water that refused to boil Naruto decided he might as well get dressed before breakfast. Walking over the closet in his bed-room Naruto yanked it open and studied the practically glowing row of orange suits.

The sizes varied, he hadn't thrown any out since he started buying them. Orange was a great color and lucky for him it was always cheap in a shinobi village, thus was in his rather tiny price range. Not that he minded standing out either, he actually liked the extra attention the bright clothing got him. Even though they were cheap he couldn't pick up new sets every week, add in damages from training or other mishaps and Naruto's closet was pretty bare all things taken into account.

Grabbing the biggest clean one left Naruto frowned at how small it seemed already. Apparently he was growing, even if he was still one of the shortest kids in his class currently. Tossing the orange suit onto his bed Naruto swept his sleeping cap off his head and shucked his night-shirt. Dragging on one of the black shirts he wore under the orange fabric the boy then grabbed the orange pants and dragged them on. They were short, the cuffs only just barely reaching the top of his ankle. The coat was no better, feeling rather tight across the chest and shoulders, on top of not quite reaching his wrists. Shrugging Naruto started back towards the kitchen, he'd have to do laundry soon.

Running a hand through his hair Naruto grimaced at the amount of dirt and feathers that were knocked free. Darting to the bathroom he shed his top again and rinsed his hair out as well as he could in the sink. Combing his fingers through the once again yellow hairs Naruto smiled back at himself in the mirror. The sounds of water boiling drew a growl from his stomach. Racing to the kitchen the boy quickly poured water into three instant ramen cups and stacked them. Snatching a pair of chopsticks in one hand and the stacked ramen in the other Naruto threw open his door and charged into the bright morning. Scarfing down ramen as his feet pushed him at a quick pace along the roof-tops towards the academy.

As he enjoyed the divine treat, that he had for almost every meal of every day, Naruto pondered what he would do in class today.

_'Anything but chakra training would be awesome. Maybe we'll get to do taijutsu today? I bet I could kick Sasuke's annoying face in that! Heh, Sakura will notice that for sure, then she'll give up on that prick and we can date and I'll have a friend!' _letting that thought play out a little further Naruto decided to ignore the fact that he didn't even know what a date was, except something that a guy and a girl did together. He was really hoping they did taijutsu training now, tossing the empty ramen cups onto a stall Naruto took off as the manager roared out in protest, flashing his trademark grin as the chase was on.

Ducking a diving through stalls Naruto left a trail of mayhem behind him, never directly responsible for knocking something over or causing people to run into each other. Sure he may nudge a watermelon a few inches to the right so the stall owner would trip over it as they tried to catch him, but he didn't throw it at them or push them over it. After a few minutes of wrecking havoc along main-street just to keep himself in peoples minds Naruto ducked down an alley, easily loosing the civilians in the winding back-streets and had just enough time to reach the academy doors before class started.

Waving at the silent shadow perched on the roof as the door shut behind him Naruto headed for the classroom as the bell rang. Remembering today was the day he was going to kick Sasuke in the face Naruto broke into his usual grin and practically ran over Shikamaru and Choji in his haste to get inside.

"Oi! Watch it idiot, you practically ran me over. So Troublesome" Shikamaru muttered, pushing himself back off the wall and resuming his slouching walk.

"Dang it Naruto, you almost crushed my BBQ chips." Choji added, grabbing another handful of the mentioned snack and glaring half-heartedly at the orange bundle of excitement.

"The bell rang!" Naruto practically shouted as he leapt completely over Ino in the front row to get to his customary spot in the middle of the second row on the left side. "You should be in your seats, idiots. And your chips are fine Choji, you got four other bags anyway!"

"That's not the point Naruto. You should be more careful where food is involved is all." Choji grumbled before breaking into a grin. "Your in a good mood today."

"Course I am! Today is gonna be Fantastic!" the blonde shot back.

"Damn it Naruto, stop being so loud!" Ino shouted as she turned around to face him. "You might bother Sasuke!"

"Your being way louder then me." the shorter haired blond pointed out as his hands slipped behind his head.

"SHUT UP NARUTO! No one wants to hear your stupid voice. Since when did you care about following the rules anyway?" Sakura roared from the other side of the room, Ino quickly noticed her rival was closer to Sasuke then her and practically flew out of her seat.

"Move, Kiba." she ordered to the boy as he sprawled over the desk-top, her voice overpowering Naruto's attempt to continue his shouted discussion with Sakura. Kiba's white puppy, Akamaru, looked at the girl from his perch on his owners head and yipped once before shifting to purposely ignore her.

"I said MOVE!" Ino pressed as she dragged on Kiba's arm. "Sasuke doesn't want to smell dog the whole day." her vigorous dragging finally managed to move the boy. However she somehow managed to drag him on top of her as she stumbled backwards, leading to the whole class, minus Sasuke, to make catcalls and whistle.

"Glad to see your all so enthusiastic today." Mizuki said as he strolled in, open folder in his hand. "Now if you could all take your seats we can get started." there was a couple seconds of scuffling before Kiba threw his arms up in disgust and slunk over to Ino's abandoned seat while the triumphant blond latched onto Sasuke's right arm, promptly followed by Sakura snatching his left in a death-grip.

"How can I take notes now?" Sasuke muttered in a dark tone, both girls immediately flushed red and dropped his arms like snakes.

"If your all done now?" Mizuki asked, looking directly at Sakura and Ino as the pair studied the grain of the wood desk-top in front of them. "Good, today we will be working on your chakra control." at this there was a chorus of moans, loudest from one orange-clad blond.

"But I'm suppose to kick Sasuke's butt in taijutsu today!" Naruto practically exploded.

"Like you could even touch him, dead last." Sakura scoffed, ogling her Sasuke again.

"I totally would! And then we can go out Sakura!" Naruto retorted.

"WHAT! No way, I'm totally devoted to Sasuke!" the pinkette sneered.

"Only cause he's the top in the class! I'm totally cuter then that goth!" snickers erupted from the males, again minus Sasuke, while Ino and Sakura practically shrieked in disapproval to Naruto's boast.

"No-one will be kicking anyone's butt today, Naruto. And we aren't addressing personal tastes in clothing." Mizuki stated. "How about you start us off with this practice."

Sticking his hands in his pocket Naruto made his way slowly to the front of the class, letting his displeasure be obvious to all. Reaching Mizuki he sighed and tried to listen to the instructions. Today was not going how he planned.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

"Do your best, Naruto." the tiny dark girl hidden in her over-large beige jacket in the corner of the top row whispered, if it was loud enough for Shino (seated next to her) to hear he didn't show it. She noticed her index fingers were pushing together right in front of her chest and quickly hid them under the table. Glancing up Hinata checked to see if anyone noticed her breach in etiquette. Luckily everyone seemed focused more on listening to the instructions for the chakra training. Except for Shikamaru, but he was sleeping instead of paying attention to anything. Peeking quickly Hinata spied a few objects on the teachers table. A few pencils, and a small spool of thread.

"... So the objective of this test is to hold the object suspended." Mizuki placed the back of his hand over one of the pencils and lifted it away. The weight stayed firmly attached to the back of his hand as he continued his explanation. "Like so, we will be using the back of the hand so that I'm sure your actually holding it with chakra, even though channeling through the back of the hand is more difficult then through the palm. Alright, go ahead Naruto." the object dropped back to the table as Mizuki stepped back and let Naruto move closer.

A look of intense concentration formed on Naruto's face as he focused on gathering his chakra. After a few seconds he laid the back of his hand on a pencil and took a deep breath.

"_Come on Naruto. You can do it!"_ Hinata cheered in her mind, causing a blush to creep out on her face. If only she could actually say it, that thought turned the slight pink into a deep red as her hands were suddenly in front of her with her index fingers touching.

Realizing she had stopped watching Naruto made the young Hyuga almost jump as she quickly focused back on the recipient of her silent affections. Naruto's eyes were drawn tight and a frown was plastered on his face as he tried again and again to imitate Mizuki's achievement with little success. Occasionally the pencil would raise with his hand for a moment, but inevitably would clatter quietly back onto the table before his hand moved more then half a foot. The snickering in the classroom grew into full blown laughter as Naruto continued to fail spectacularly at the task they had been practicing since their second year in the academy.

"_Your trying so hard Naruto, I know you can do it."_ Hinata encouraged, her voice didn't seem to work while all the blood in her body was trying to crowd into her head. _"Why can't I just say that! Why am I such a failure, I don't deserve to encourage Naruto. I should just disappear."_ the blush started to recede as her thoughts darkened. The image of her father and cousin standing before the rest of her clan staring at her with disgust and shame forced her head down as she stammered a quiet apology for her weakness and break in conduct. Shino didn't seem to notice.

"Right, good effort Naruto" Mizuki threw the compliment before shooing Naruto back to his seat, the student himself with his hands behind his head with a smile on his face as he complained about missing breakfast so that was why he couldn't do it. A wave of mostly well-meant teasing followed the grinning boy back to his chair before Mizuki continued.

"Lets move on. Sakura, would you kindly go next?" the pink haired student flipped her long hair, making sure some of it passed into Sasuke's line of vision no doubt, before making her way down to the teachers desk. Taking just a heartbeat to focus she effortlessly picked up the pencil, then the spool of thread.

"Excellent control as always Sakura." Mizuki stated in a friendly manner. " Try holding just the end of the thread."

Nodding Sakura narrowed her eyes as she focused on just the end of the thread, after a moment the rest of the spool fell away, unraveling as it traveled to the floor. Hinata realized she was glaring at the pinkette and the thin line of white thread that dangled from the back of her hand. Quickly she corrected her newest breach in conduct while offering another apology.

"_I hope Naruto is ok."_ Hinata glanced at the boy in question, blushing a little as she admired how his shoulders threatened to burst out of his jacket. No other boy in the class dressed like that, and her blush deepened again as she realized who's shoulders she was thinking about.

After Sakura flounced back to her seat, obviously pleased with herself, the rest of the class began to rotate through the test. While most were able to at least hold any of the objects several (Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru.) were unable or unwilling to repeat Sakura's performance with the spool of thread. Ino's nose was particularly high when she picked up both the pencil and thread at the same time, and Hinata was sure the blond was sneaking looks at Sasuke the whole time.

Finally everyone else had gone. Knowing it was her turn Hinata still waited for Shino to glide back up to his seat, using the extra time to sneak a few more glances at Naruto as he fiddled with a sheet of paper torn from his notebook. He was doodling something, though she could only see "Mega awesome Hokage" and something that looked like "Give me the hat Old man".

"Hinata." Mizuki called, drawing a startled squeak from the Hyuga heiress.

"Y-yes?" she asked, fingers pushing back and forth in her lap.

"It's your turn, Hinata." the teacher reminded.

"Oh!" Hinata exclaimed, turning a brilliant shade of red under her black-blue hair. Quickly stumbling to her feet the girl practically tripped down the stairs in her haste to reach the floor. Kiba snickered quietly as Akamaru woofed something only the dogs owner could understand.

"S-sorry." the girl apologized, bowing deeply to her teacher when she finally reached the desk.

Mizuki merely waved her towards the scattered objects and clicked his pen. Taking a deep breath Hinata focused on a mental image of her chakra network. The brilliant blue tubes and points of her chakra coils that only the Hyuga, with there bloodline limit the _'Byakugan'_ could actually _see_ in reality. Pulling a small clump of glowing blue chakra from the center of herself Hinata forced it through the delicate network till it rested on the back of her hand. Lowering the appendage to the table she slowly started releasing the chakra, letting it drift around the pencil before she held it still.

"_Please be right, I can do this. I won't fail this time, not this time."_ Hinata prayed as she slowly lifted her hand, sighing as the pencil remained glued to the back of her delicate skin.

"Excellent job." Mizuki mentioned without really looking up, the comment was still enough to startle the shy girl into dropping the pencil with a clatter.

Blushing furiously and hanging her head Hinata retreated before anyone could comment on her lack of control. Scurrying to her seat the timid girl tried to disappear. She was such a failure, how could anyone like her. Furtively sneaking a look around Hinata sighed as her mood hit an all-time low for the day, the whole class was so ashamed that they weren't even laughing or making fun of her. Staring down at the floor Hinata wished it would swallow her up.

The rest of the class passed in a daze, she remembered parts of the lecture. Naruto got up somewhere during the period and professed his love to Sakura while kneeling on the desk in front of her. Sakura was less then amused and made that rather clear to the dense blond, in a rather _physical _manner. Somehow that turned into a mini-brawl that dragged Ino, Kiba, and Choji into it as well before Mizuki was able to separate the exuberant children. Naruto's later attempt to sneak out the window was easily stopped and he spent the rest of the class period with a glower on his face sitting tied up on the floor. Even tied up however, the class clown managed to maneuver himself under Mizuki's feet and disrupted the class on several occasions.

When the lunch bell finally rang the blond started frantically rolling around demanding to be cut loose or he would "Die of hunger!" from lack of ramen. Of course his struggling to draw attention only prolonged the efforts to release him from the expertly tied knots. When he was finally freed (through the efforts of Mizuki, Kiba, and surprisingly Shino.) the boy practically threw himself out the window in his haste to leave.

Watching the retreating orange figures back Hinata sighed and rose to leave. In her daze the girl accidentally knocked over her school bag, and when scrambling to catch it disturbed Shino's supplies as well. Stammering apologies to thin air the fragile child bent down to start collecting the scattered papers, pencils, and notes. After a few moments Hinata had gathered the fallen items and was laying them out, sorting her own notes from Shino's, when the classroom door opened.

"Mizuki! Glad I caught you." Iruka, the scared senior tutor stated cheerfully. "I wanted to go over our team recommendations with you one more time."

"Sure thing. Let me see if I have the notes I was preparing." there was some shuffling before a happy cry as Mizuki continued. "Here they are! Now lets see. There is the obvious team of Shikamaru, Ino and Choji. Their parents made an excellent group and I don't see why they couldn't do so as well. Their abilities work far to well in tandem to not recommend they be placed together."

There was a grunt of approval from Iruka before Mizuki continued. "Then there is the Sasuke issue, the boy is practically _doomed_ to have Naruto on his team unless the boy practically triples his scores on the written and weapon portions of the exam, if the boy passes at all. If he doesn't I'd recommend placing Kiba with him. Sasuke's scores are the best we've had in years and while Kiba fares horribly on written exams, he is one of the few students who could hope to keep up with him physically at this point. That would leave Hinata, Sakura, and Shino to form the last team, their scores are all very high in academics and acceptable in other areas."

Hinata's face fell, hidden behind the desk as her thoughts whirled. _"I won't be on a team with Naruto."_ not that the young girl had really expected to be teamed up with him, that would be far more wonderful then she deserved. Besides, she didn't even know if he would want a failure like her on his team. Despite his low scores Hinata was sure Naruto was going to be a great ninja, if nothing else he never let himself be dragged down. He would always bounce back with twice the enthusiasm and determination every time he failed. Not like her, she would never be able to do anything like that.

"How about if Naruto passes? His test scores are finally in the passing range, he is physically capable of rivaling Sasuke, his only stumbling block will be the ninjutsu portion of the exam." Iruka questioned, snapping Hinata's attention away from her gloomy thoughts.

"If he passes? Well even with his physical prowress I suspect we'll need to assign Sasuke and the next highest overall student just to even out the teams. Naruto has never been... good at chakra control. Lets see... The team I would suggest at the moment would be Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto provided he passes. Yes, I'd go with that unless Hinata manages to pass Sakura on their overall scores. Having two team-mates with blood-line limits might also help offset Naruto." Mizuki relayed his thoughts in very practical manner.

"Sounds right. So our team suggestions are: Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino for team 10. Sasuke, Naruto, and either Sakura or Hinata for team 7. Then Kiba, Shino, and whichever of the girls is left after balancing team 7 for team 8. Solid planning Mizuki, I'll start drafting the paperwork tonight." Iruka was about to leave when there was a shout from the playground.

"IRUKA!" the teacher's head snapped around and her raced to the window.

"WHAT!" he bellowed.

Kiba's voice drifted in through the open window, just loud enough for Hinata to hear. "Naruto's being an idiot again. He just splattered paint all over the Hokage mountain. Some chunin are chasing him right now."

"NARUTO!" Iruka roared, jumping through the window. "What the hell are you doing on school time! On **MY** time!"

Hinata went back to sorting the jumble of papers in her hands, wondering what kind of trouble Naruto would be in for the later half of the day with Iruka. When the stacks were finally separated the tiny girl placed Shino's papers back where she had disturbed them from and neatly placed her's back in her satchel. She got back up to her feet before a sudden epiphany hit her like a ton of bricks.

"_If I get a better score then Sakura I'll be on Naruto's team!"_ The thought of spending every day with the blond-haired, blue-eyed, boy with whisker birth-marks however, catapulted the girl directly from consciousness to oblivion. Though before her mind totally shut down she felt something foreign, a sense of purpose and determination that had never been there before.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"HEY!" Iruka shouted as he landed on the roof-top where a pair of chunin had cornered the orange dare-devil on. "I'll take it from here."

The pair turned towards him for a moment before one of the two figures started to walk away. The other stalked up to Iruka, clearly in a bad mood.

"The brat needs to be taught a lesson about respect. Look what he did to the Hokage mountain!" the chunin raged.

Keeping down the urge to snarl and say things that might be taken the wrong way Iruka simply gave an "I'll handle it." and walked towards his student. Naruto was leaning against a stairwell door, arms wrapped around his ribs and a stubborn look plastered on his face.

"Come on Naruto. We'll clean this up after class." Iruka stated, waving a hand at the red designs that now decorated the giant Hokage faces carved from the mountain behind the village.

"I don't want to. Besides, its proof of how amazing I am. Who else could do that!" Naruto declared, turning slightly away.

"You should put all that _enthusiasm_ into your homework instead of pranks Naruto. People look at your grades too you know." Iruka reasoned. "And painting all over the faces of the greatest ninja the village has produced isn't going to get you the right type of attention."

"But I'm gonna be a greater Hokage then any of them!" the boy shouted. "besides, they look way more cool like that." he added in a more quiet tone.

"Naruto..." Iruka sighed. "How about I take you out for ramen tonight?" the sheer joy that blossomed on the boys face almost made Iruka cry. Something so small shouldn't mean so much. He knew Naruto was mistreated, but it was never driven home quite so well except when his tiny offers sparked such a huge return.

"YEAH!" Naruto was practically dancing on the roof-top. "I hope class is done real soon, I can't wait Iruka!"

"AH ah ah. Not till we clean this up as well." gesturing back at the red paint Iruka folded his arms and looked down at the boy.

"No problem, I'll have it done in no time at all teacher." Naruto boomed, dragging a rag from one of his pockets he charged towards the giant red smears, fully intent on clearing them away as quickly as possible. Snatching the back of the boys collar Iruka sighed.

"We still have to go to class first Naruto." dragging the squealing, protesting child back to class Iruka couldn't help but smile. "Are you ready for the exam tomorrow?"

"I'm always ready, I'll ace that exam!" Naruto muttered, still trying to get away to clean up the paint that stood between him and his delicious ramen.

"Well then let me test you on the way back to the classroom, we've still got a few minutes before class starts." the older ninja stated.

"NOOOOOOOO! If we've got time for that we've got time to clean up that paint!" Naruto howled, prompting a laugh from his teacher.

"The paint isn't going anywhere Naruto. Humor me." Iruka pleaded.

The boy finally quit his attempts to escape with an exasperated sigh. "Fine teacher, ask your silly questions. Just know that your the one holding us up from getting ramen."

Shaking his head at how simple the boys mind was about some things Iruka started his questionnaire. Needless to say, Naruto was not ready for the exam. He would be lucky to get passing marks even. Iruka frowned slightly, pondering how to help his secretly favorite student.

"Hmmm, well you've gotten a few right Naruto. But how about you come study over at my house tonight?" Naruto put his heels down in shock, and Iruka was surprised to find he couldn't move the boy.

"Are... are you serious teacher?" Naruto asked, a look of shock plastered on his expressive face.

"Of course I am." Iruka replied. "We can go there right after we stop by Ichiraku's."

The chunin noticed something odd was happening to Naruto. There was a hungry, yet pleading look in his eyes that almost broke Iruka's heart. The boy seemed speechless and struck dumb, staring at Iruka like he was the Fourth Hokage re-incarnate.

"You... really mean that?" Naruto pressed, his normally boisterous attitude having vanished somewhere in the exchange. He seemed ready to break, fragile and so very, very small. Iruka couldn't help but curse Sarutobi's law. The law that isolated this unique and precious child from everyone. He couldn't help what he was, but that didn't stop the village as a whole from blaming him. That night, twelve years ago when a demon fox, the Kuubi, attacked. A force so strong it was considered a natural disaster, something that could not be fought, the only hope of survival was to pray that it somehow missed you. Hundreds of lives were lost that day, most notably the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze. It was the fourths sacrifice of his own life that kept the casualties in the hundreds instead of thousands. His efforts to seal the fox into the child standing in front of Iruka now all that saved the village from total devastation.

And for Naruto's sacrifice of becoming the container for the destructive energies that made up the Kuubi, instead of cheers of joy and thankfulness he received cold glares, carried the hatred from those who lost families and friends, and tried to become their shield even as they attempted to destroyed him themselves. He was a prankster and a troublemaker, but those times they chased and shouted at him were the only times he was acknowledged at all. A boy, filled to the brim with excitement, wonder, and curiosity who's only means of expression were crude jokes, wild boasts, and delinquent behavior.

If he wasn't causing trouble he was ignored, the boy couldn't even buy clothing or toys. The shopkeeper's would either ignore him at the counter, or call the ANBU to take him away so that the rest of their customers wouldn't have to tolerate him. Those few shopkeeper's that would deal with him charged outrageous prices, anywhere from three to seven times the price any other citizen would pay. Iruka had questioned the boy half-way during his first year in the academy why he was lacking paper, pencils, and only had half the shuriken and kunai he was required to bring. It was one of his most shameful and yet happy memories of Naruto.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"_I can't afford them Teacher." the blond student said quietly, watching his feet draw lines in the dirt._

"_Surely your stipend from the Hokage is enough to cover the basic supplies for the academy!" Iruka had practically exploded, figuring the troublesome boy had squandered the money on sweets or that dreadful ramen he was always going on about._

"_I've tried, but buying the rest of my school supplies wouldn't leave me enough to pay the rent." Naruto continued. "My whole last check went into what I have with me. It will take me months to save enough to get all the kunai and shuriken. I can barely get brushes and ink! Besides, I don't have parents to buy the things I don't have anyway." Iruka was flabbergasted at how this new student was outright lying to his face. The prices he was listing were incredibly unrealistic, even buying the most expensive kunai in the village wouldn't cost half the average stipend for a child Naruto's age._

"_I will be informing the Hokage about this, Naruto, your dishonesty is unsightly. I also expect you to have the remainder of your required items by tomorrow. Dismissed." pointing towards the door Iruka quickly noted down that he needed to talk with the Hokage about Naruto._

_The raggedly dressed blond walked out slowly with his head down. Raging about students and their pity plays Iruka got back to work. Later that evening on his way to the Hokage tower Iruka heard a disturbance in one of the smaller book stores._

"_But I have to have this! I can't train without it!" recognizing the high-pitch cries of the student he had talked with earlier that day Iruka ghosted up to the entryway to investigate. _

_Naruto was standing at the counter holding the introductory book for academy students. The shopkeeper was leaning on the bar with a less-then-friendly smile with his hand out._

"_And I told you that the book would be 1800 ryo." the slightly balding man behind the counter replied, still holding his hand out._

"_But... I don't have 1800 ryo." the small blond replied, staring down at his feet._

"_Then I can't sell you that book. That's too bad, now would you leave my shop already brat?" the man returned, crossing his extended arm over the other and staring darkly at the boy._

"_Could I... maybe pay some now and the rest later?" Naruto asked, his obvious acceptance of the inevitably negative reply already showing._

"_No, now get out already before I call the police." the man said without a pause, pointing firmly at the door. "I don't deal with 'your' kind."_

_Nodding the boy placed the book back on the large rack of duplicate items and shuffled towards the door. Iruka quickly slipped into the crowd and waited for the blond to start his slow march to the next store. Ducking into the store quickly Iruka grabbed the same book and walked to the counter._

"_How much?" he questioned, laying the item on the counter._

"_Sale on those today, sir. Only 800 ryo a book. Your kid accidentally drop theirs in a puddle already?" the shopkeeper said in a friendly manner as he started clacking away with the register._

"_Thank you, that's all I needed to hear." Iruka said, barely suppressing his anger. Turning on his heel the chunin stalked out into the light and started looking for the distinctive blond-hair of his student._

"_Sir! You forgot the book!" the man called from the counter, Iruka replied with a less-then-publicly-appropriate figure gesture as he finally spotted Naruto shuffling out of another store._

_Pushing through the throng towards the small boy Iruka was reminded of his own dark past. His parents had been killed in the Kuubi's attack, and while he was loth to admit it, he may have been taking some of that anger out on the boy. His own struggles through the ninja academy were difficult, but at least he had received far more fair prices then this out-right robbery that seemed to follow Naruto. Catching up he dropped a hand lightly on the child's thin shoulder and winced as he practically leaped out of his skin trying to escape. World-weary, accusing blue eyes met his own as the boy vibrated, torn between the desire for contact and fear of rejection and pain._

_Iruka was ashamed of himself to say the least. He was a teacher, fairly new, but no excuse to not look out for the children placed in his care. He had no reason to doubt the boy in front of him, he had done it without thinking, instantly assuming the worst from the boy who sacrificed the most seven years ago._

"_I realized I still have some of my old academy things laying around." Iruka began, an idea fermenting in his mind. "Since I don't have much use for it these days do you think you could use them for me?"_

_Deep in those dead blue eyes something sparkled to life, like the tiniest spot of light at the end of a horribly long tunnel. Suspicion was painted all over the boy's face, and Iruka's temper grew blacker as he realized he wasn't the first to offer the boy something, but he was probably the only one who had meant it._

"_Tell you what, lets go get some food. I'll bring what I have to school tomorrow alright? So you won't have to worry about what I said earlier. That sound good?" the boy gave a tiny nod as suspicion was buried, not extinguished, but hidden under disbelief. "Excellent, now where should we go eat?" Iruka asked._

_The tiny boy's hand twitched, almost like he wanted to grab something, before he turned and lead the way to a small out of the way ramen bar called Ichiraku's. Pushing the cloth out of his way Iruka took one of the bar seats as Naruto clambered his way onto another. The owner came out of the back almost as soon as they were seated._

"_Ah! Welcome back Naruto!" the slightly overweight cook cheered. "I'm glad you came back to grace my ramen bar! Keep this up and you just might be my best customer!" the mans enthusiasm seemed boundless as he quickly laid out menu's and chopsticks for the two diners. "Now what can I get for you today?"_

_Iruka quickly ordered a beef ramen and then turned to study Naruto as the boy's eyes haltingly covered the menu almost larger then his torso. He also made a note to test the boy's reading and comprehension skills the next day. After a few minutes Naruto laid the menu on the table and pointed to __the miso ramen._

"_Alrighty, one beef and one miso ramen coming right up!" the man stated as he swept the menu's into his hands and turned back to the kitchen._

_Several slightly awkward minutes of watching Naruto fiddle with his chopsticks later the man returned, sliding two steaming hot bowls of noodles before the pair. Naruto clasped his hands and bowed his head for a moment before snapping the chopsticks apart and plunging them into the frothy dinner._

"_Wait a minute Naruto." Iruka interupted the boy. "Your suppose to say 'thank you for the food' before you dig in." once again the deep blue eyes regarded him with suspicion, begging not to be hurt but expecting the cruelty to come regardless._

_Slowly putting his hands together again Naruto repeated the phrase, and immediately glanced around as if expecting someone to attack him. Iruka felt a wrenching sensation in his chest at such a terrified habit from what should be an innocent and inquisitive creature. Satisfied nothing ill had happened Naruto resumed his interrupted meal. Iruka almost forgot his own until the boy finished and looked pointedly at it. Startling slightly the chunin quickly preformed the ritual and began to eat._

"_Well I'll be, you finished that one faster then the last Naruto!" the cook was back. "How about another?" his grin grew even wider at Naruto's hesitant nod._

_Before Iruka was even half-way done there was a second bowl warming the table in front of his student, with a tall glass of tea chilling nearby. Naruto made sure he said thanks for the food before beginning to eat. After a moment he looked over at Iruka and then back at the glass of tea, the question obvious on his ever-expressive face. Mouth full of noodles, surprisingly good noodles he had to admit, Iruka nodded and the child quickly took a long drink. The rest of the meal past uneventfully but the cook called Iruka before they could leave._

"_Wait right there, Naruto." Iruka said before returning to the counter._

"_I'm not a man of... flowery words or hidden meanings." the cook said quietly. "And as glad that I am the boy found someone else who doesn't seem to want to beat him to death, I'm questioning your reasons."_

_Iruka considered his words carefully for a moment before replying._

"_I'm an instructor at the academy and Naruto is one of my newest students. I was rather rough with him the last couple days, but that was before I discovered how... outrageous some of the village's behavior towards him has been. I... had a... similar situation growing up and now that I understand what he is going through a little better I intend to do what I can to rectify my earlier coarseness. Though now I fear I have to ask your own reasoning for being more open-minded then the majority of our village." slightly winded from the long speech Iruka fixed the cook with his gaze._

"_My name is Teuchi, I came here to Konoha with my daughter Ayame from Amegakure. The constant warring was far to dangerous for me to raise a child in. I only wish I had left before my wife..." emotion was vivid on the mans face, and easily heard in his trembling voice. "I hope my daughter will forgive me... But back to Naruto. I set up shop here last year. While Konoha is very prosperous starting a new business is... difficult. Naruto was one of my first customers, and somehow having him around made some of my more... vocal critics hesitant to stick around. I can't see why anyone in their right mind wouldn't want such a charming boy around, especially when he has done so much for them at such a terribly young age. Needless to say, such a special boy will always be my best and most welcome customer." Teuchi ended with a smile and a twinkle in his eye._

_Nodding to himself Iruka had to agree. He had only really spent a few class periods and this afternoon __with the boy, but even he could tell that the constant degradation of Naruto was excessive in the least._

"_I'm glad you've been there for him." Iruka said as he turned to leave._

"_I'm happier that the boy's heart is big enough to take everything that has happened." Teuchi returned. "And with you looking out for him too I think he'll achieve his dreams." waving the cook returned to his product while Iruka stepped out to comfort the lonely child who stood, waiting for him._

"_A bigger heart then anyone could guess." Iruka thought as he smiled down at the boy._

"_I'll walk you home, Naruto." He said, noticing the boys hand twitch again before he nodded and started walking._

_Pondering the significance of the repeated motion Iruka fell in step with the child as they wandered through the village. Walking down the dusty road Naruto led him through several twists and turns, sometimes on a main road, sometimes an alley. Once he even clambered up to a roof to cross where there was no alley. Finally they reached a shabby, run-down apartment building and the boy turned to him again, only this time there was a smile warm enough to melt rock shining from his face._

"_Thank you Iruka. The noodles were delicious. I'll be sure to come to class on time tomorrow." the smile faded slightly as Naruto's gaze drifted down to Iruka's hand. His own small one twitched again and Iruka suddenly realized what it was._

_Kneeling down the scared chunin reached out his large fingers and grasped the small, warm digits of his student. The shock and wonder that spread out on the boys face was simply too much for Iruka to take. Pulling the boy close he held him as Naruto started to shiver, then sniffle, and finally to cry. Gently rocking the boy back and forth in the dirty street Iruka was reminded of how much he had wished for someone to do the same after his own parents were taken from him._

/=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

Shaking the memories from his sight Iruka got back to the task at hand. Smiling that warm heartfelt smile that only Naruto seemed able to drag out of him he extended his hand. Here, hidden on the rooftops of their beloved, ignorant Konoha he took the boys hand again.

"Yes, we'll study all night and I'm sure you'll pass the exam with flying colors." Naruto's smile, the real smile, not the mask he used in class, was something that still filled the older man with wonder.

* * *

Naruto will be slightly smarter. SLIGHTLY! He will never beat Shikamaru in Shogi, but he may trip him up with an unorthodox move from time to time.

Keep an eye on these end notes as I'll use them to cover questions I receive that I think might be asked by a large portion of my readers.

You probably noticed I don't use many Japanese words or suffixes (Iruka is called 'Teacher' instead of 'Iruka-sensei').

Basically I'm going to do 99.9% of this story in English (Sensei will be used for Jonin instructors, but will not be used as a suffix. Example; 'My Sensei is Kakashi'. not 'Kakashi-sensei'.) because I dislike finding random Japanese words (Kawaii, gomen, nani) here and there in fanfics (Your character speak Japanese/German/Italian/ect? Then it should be _complete_ sentences. Have another character translate or send readers to google translator (not advised) but please don't butcher both languages.). I also do not feel comfortable writing the rest of the suffixes (-san, -chan, -kun, -sama, ect.) so I won't make -sensei the lone exception.

All techniques will be in English as well for similar reasoning (They shout the technique in their own language, so since we understand them talking there isn't really a reason the technique needs to be in a different language. _Unless_ the person doing the technique is using a different language to confuse other characters or meet a requirement of the technique.

Hope this doesn't make anyone stop reading (just semantics really)!

Thanks for reading (remember, it gets newer after a few chapters, slow development!)

~**SimplyWaters~**


	2. Chapter 2

Wheew. You decided to continue! Thank you for that!

Aug 2012 edit: Some small changes to some verbage her and there.

Talking

**Shouting/Inner voice**

_Thoughts/flashback_**  
**

This is me... still not owning Naruto.

* * *

II.

* * *

Naruto was having an interesting morning. His house seemed rather large and jumbled, the bathroom was in the wrong place, and he had slept on the couch for some reason, a couch he couldn't remember owning.

"_When did I get that carpet?"_ the boy pondered, staring at the red and green fabric under his feet.

Finally giving up on remembering he wandered over to the suddenly full-sized kitchen and opened his ramen cabinet.

Pure horror flooded the blond child as he stared at a large assortment of cans and jars. None of which were ramen. In disbelief he shut the cabinet door, slapping himself on both cheeks before putting his hand back on the handle. Jerking the door open again Naruto blinked, still not comprehending his situation.

"Right... need to start the water for my ramen. Today is the exam." muttering to himself the boy turned to grab his trusty pot right. The lack of the well-worn handle meeting his hand finally brought the severity of his situation to the front of Naruto's mind.

The blood-curdling scream that erupted through the crisp morning air woke every citizen in a three-block radius of the apartment. It also continued for almost a minute as Naruto ran from window to window around his expanded apartment, making sure whatever noodle-thief had sneakily replaced his beloved substance knew their time left in this world was short. Iruka stumbled out of the closed bedroom door with wide-red eyes.

Blinking twice Naruto paused his shrieks to say "Good morning teacher." before taking a deep breath in preparation to continue.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP!" Iruka practically pounced on the boy and slapped a hand over his mouth. "No more. NO MORE!"

Naruto struggled, trying to wrestle himself free enough to explain their dire situation. There was no RAMEN! How could they survive this desolate and unforgiving world without the long, stringy noodles and hearty broth. Finally jerking Iruka's hand away Naruto managed to expel their situation in one sentence.

"But teacher I woke up and there was this weird carpet and my pots are gone and **OH MY GOD!** Someone stole _my_ **RAMEN** we have to go to the Hokage **right now** or they'll eat it all! But what if they ate it all I'll _die_ if I can't eat ramen ever again **please** teacher you have to help meeee!"

Iruka's sleep-addled brain threw up its figurative arms and didn't even try to make sense of the rapid-fire statement. Trying to jump-start the stalled organ Iruka shook the blond, trying to make the endless tirade stop, but once the dam broke there was nothing that could be done about the torrent unleashed from Naruto's half-conscious self.

"NARUTO! SHUT UP!" finally snapping Iruka lifted the boy bodily into the air so they could look each other in the eye. "The ramen is right where you left it." shaking the boy as his eyes flickered over towards the cabinet as if expecting the foodstuffs to have suddenly righted themselves. "This is _my_ house Naruto. Your ramen is fine back at _your_ house."

Naruto completely stopped moving. Turning giant blue eyes back at his teacher the blond hung, stupefied for a full minute.

"Sooooo... where is your ramen?"

Iruka set the boy down gently before palming his face with both hands. Receiving a mental 'Told you so' from himself the teacher stumbled back to his bed. It was far, far, _far_ to early in the morning to deal with Naruto. He was a wonderful kid, in small doses. At least Iruka was now _certain_ that he would never have children of his own. Waving sleepily at Naruto as the boy followed him into the bedroom, refusing to stop pestering about his favorite treat, Iruka collapsed on the twin-sized mattress and prayed for oblivion. A quick glance at the clock on his way down drew a groan from the chunin.

4:30am.

Two hours later the pair exited the apartment and Iruka let Naruto drag him over to Ichiraku's. Secured in the knowledge that there was still ramen in Konoha Naruto cheerfully attacked the double-sized bowl of seafood ramen while happily chattering about the benefits of having such a wonderful substance several times a day. Iruka simply swirled his own child-size chicken ramen while silently urging Teuchi to hurry with his coffee. Not normally a fan of the substance Iruka was sure today was one of those days it wasn't an option to go without.

Three cups of coffee and two bowls of ramen later the two ninja were racing around the rooftops, Iruka's headband clasped tightly in Naruto's fist as the blond raced around practically exploding from laughter.

"Naruto you can't grab a ninja's headband." Iruka chastised after managing to corner the boy and reclaim his pilfered item. "This is a symbol that the wearer is a ninja of Konoha and has reached a level of maturity where they can take responsibility for their actions. That they've grown-up."

"But teacher, I've been doing all that grown-up stuff since I left the orphanage like seven-thousand-years ago." Naruto whined, making a half-hearted swipe at the band again.

"Ah ah ah." Iruka chided as he nimbly avoided the boys hands. "You'll get your own when you graduate. Speaking of which, why don't you hurry on ahead and practice your _'Clone Technique'_, that's the only one we didn't manage to practice last night."

"Awwww fine. Sure you don't wanna race there?" Naruto's smile almost made Iruka give in.

"I'm afraid I can't Naruto. How about we try to get a game of tag going after the exam?" Iruka tempted the boy. The game was one that Naruto stood almost head-and-shoulders above the rest of the students in, and after they got going most would forget to ignore him or treat him differently in the adrenalin haze.

"But we'll be all grown-up today, teacher. And you grown-ups don't play tag." Naruto replied mournfully, his expressive face completely unable to hide the disappointment that flooded the formerly bright features.

"_Protocol be damned."_ Iruka decided after seeing the boys face fall.

"Ohhh reeeeaaallly?" plastering a grin on his own face Iruka slapped the boy gently on the back while cheering "Tag!" before running towards the school. The chase that followed left more then a few citizens shaking their fists and at least one line of laundry in the dirt. Pacing himself the chunin let Naruto tag him several times before guiding them to the school right before the bell rang.

"Hah! See that! This is why grown-ups shouldn't try to play kid games." Naruto squealed, hands behind his head after having managed to slip into the school right before Iruka could re-tag him.

"I guess so, Naruto. Now hurry to class and don't forget what we studied last night." the boy waved as he charged into his classroom. The shouts and crashes that followed obviously caused by some rash action or another from the boy. Iruka caught something about "Sauske's first KISS!" before he turned down the hall to the examination room.

Grabbing Mizuki's notes on the exam Iruka felt a small stab of regret. The final portion of the four part exam would be the demonstration of the _'Clone' _technique. The one ninjutsu that he hadn't practiced with Naruto last night.

"_He'll be alright."_ the teacher reasoned to himself. _"Not spectacular, but he can do this."_ something made him wish he had told the boy that. Shaking off the dark premonition Iruka grabbed some of the required supplies and headed out to the school-yard to set up for the exams.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

"_Have to beat Sakura, have to beat Sakura, have to beat Sakura." _Hinata continued the mantra as the class filed in and took their seats. Naruto came in practically with the bell, but that was hardly new. Catching herself staring Hinata shifted her gaze to her rival.

This desire to surpass someone was... different. Hinata had never been _driven_ to succeed at something and the sensation was enlightening. Even though she knew she couldn't beat the pinkette Hinata wouldn't forgive herself if she didn't at least try. This wasn't a two-hour sparring session with her incredibly gifted cousin where she was doomed to fail while her father watched in muted disapproval.

Her home in the Hyuga compound was never a place one could relax, the occupants abilities to spy on each other even through walls meant that her slip-ups and failures were often seen and discussed by the entirety of the main branch of her family. Not obviously, but the looks of embarrassment many of the main family members were clear enough to be a second language to Hinata. This had reinforced her naturally shy behavior to the point where she rarely spoke or did anything besides study in an effort to avoid making mistakes.

Her father, Hiashi Hyuga, might even show a brief glimmer of pride if Hinata preformed exceptionally in this exam. Holding on to the tiny threads of hope the pale girl furiously ran through the notes she had been studying with unnaturally vigor ever since hearing her teachers discussion. If the test followed their normal written exam format she would normally be anywhere from three to six points behind Sakura, who of course would be a point or so behind the Uchiha _genius_. Hinata's taijutsu, while not good enough for her family, was far ahead of the rest of the girls in fact only Sasuke, who had received a similar form of family training before the unfortunate incident that took almost the entirety of them from this world, forms could be compared to her own. Of course her lack of determination and drive on top of her small body and reach often let the larger, stronger boys win their practice bouts. But Hinata had no doubts that she could test out higher then Sakura in that portion exam as they were tested on form and not actual combat.

Which left the two areas they both showed a keen grasp of as their real battle. The weapons and ninjutsu portions. Hinata knew Sakura's chakra control was almost perfect, her _'Byakugan'_ could and had witnessed it on many occasions, particularly when she was studying her classmate to refine her own control. Sakura was better, Hinata knew that, but hopefully the margin would be slight enough that their scores would be almost identical. Much also depended on the jutsu they were required to perform, a simple _'Transformation' _or _'Replacement' _technique they could both pull off perfectly for full marks. Well, probably, but the Hyuga quickly crushed that tiny insecure voice before she convinced herself otherwise. If they were tested on a _'Clone'_ technique however, it would come down to who could produce the most perfect clones, Hinata wasn't sure how many Sakura could or would create. The minimum for an exam like this would be two or three, and unless a certain dark-haired, evil-eyed boy was watching Hinata felt fairly safe predicting Sakura would only preform the minimum.

Weapons. Neither Sakura nor Hinata had shone more then normal proficiency with the academy's required equipment. They both could hit targets with either kunai or shurkien with eighty-five percent or higher average. Only Sasuke's average was higher, an impressive ninety-seven percent. After multitasking reading and throwing practice kunai at the target in her room Hinata was hopeful about her chances to pass the drooling fan-girl but refused to jump to conclusions, or really expect her hopes were as grounded in reality as she thought.

Eventually it came down to one comparison. Could Hinata pass Sakura enough in the taijutsu and ninjutsu portions of the exam to weigh out the girls advantage in the written portion. Try as she might Hinata couldn't bring herself to believe she had more then a fifty-fifty chance of success, if her odds were even that good.

"I don't get it. Whats so good about you any-" Naruto's voice drew Hinata's attention like a magnet and the sight that greeted her almost made the Hyuga pass out for the entirety of the exam.

Naruto, for some reason or another, had decided to hop onto the desk in front of Sasuke. Of course, even that unruly behavior was not enough for the class clown of Konoha, he had to stick his face inches from Sasuke's while spouting off. Oddly his voice (heard for the first time in the room that day) was loud enough to startle Kiba who was seated in the row ahead of them. Kiba, not being the brightest or most spatially aware trainee had jumped to his feet to holler at his, as usual, ridiculously brightly dressed classmate. The sudden and ill-advised movement had caused Kiba to push Naruto forward.

Face to face with Sasuke.

There was a moment of golden silence as everyone in the class sat stunned in disbelief. A crack could be heard from three different areas of the room as three different girls hearts broke at the sight of their idol's losing their infinitely precious first kiss. Immediately following there was several blast of murderous rage directed at a sputtering, red-faced blond.

"NARUTO!" Ino and Sakura's shrieks were deafening.

"Kiba!" Naruto snarled, whipping around to stare at the un-witting instigator of his current crisis.

"Sasuke's first KISS!" Choji was beside himself with laughter. "Ohhhhoh, oh ho ho! Ahha hahaha! You should see the look on your face Ino! Shikamaru.. hahaha... You should have seen this... OH haha..." curling around his plump belly the boy ended up rolling off of his chair and under the desk, his uncontrollable laughter still drifting out in a muted manner from under the wood.

Everyone but Ino, Sakura, Sauske, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata soon followed the suit. The two girl's who had just witnessed the love of their young lives lips brutally ripped away from them conformed in a flustered, spiteful pack on the thief. Naruto's face quickly went from rage filled to panicked as he realized he would not be able to claim retribution from Kiba before the two furious girls reached him. Sasuke, for the first time in the history of the class, had actually half-risen from his seat to rip his classmate to pieces. But upon seeing his resident fan-base descending on the helpless individual the Uchiha decided his own hands didn't need to be dirtied. Lowering himself back into the chair the boy did crack a brief smirk as Naruto's pummeling began. Shikamaru's eyes opened for a moment, took in the scene, and then closed deliberately as even his usually bored face couldn't hold back a grin.

Hinata simply sat very, very still and focused on staying awake. The image of Naruto and Sasuke's lips pressed together was proving more difficult to push from her mind then she would have thought possible. She was fairly certain her face could be used to fry eggs at the moment as well.

"_Now if that had been me and Naruto..." _Hinata's mind went white.

When colors and sounds started making sense again the still flustered girl managed to look for her crush. The class had settled down and Iruka was almost as red-faced as she had been moments ago as he roared at the blond troublemaker. Still unable to make out the majority of the words Hinata settled for reading the instigator's always open face.

"_He's ok. A little disturbed, but he's ok... not like me. I'd die if Iruka or Mizuki were yelling at me." _satisfied Naruto would be alright Hinata tried to look over her notes one last time.

"This is wrong." Shino Aburame's monotonous voice snapped the girls head up.

Following his finger, no-one had seen his pretty grey-blue eyes since their second year when he started wearing the thick black glasses that he now never went without, to a small section of her notes on chakra theory Hinata re-read the portion.

"A-are you s-s-sure?" she hesitantly questioned.

Shino's reply was to draw a book from his satchel. With quick, practiced movements the boy laid the book out, grasped a tab sticking out inconspicuously from the pages, and flipped open to the chapter they had been studying during that day earlier in the week. Thin fingers splayed out over the white pages filled with tiny, scrawling black symbols as he searched efficiently for the phrase. Finding it Shino turned the book at an angle towards her and left his finger as an indicator of the passages location. Laying her own hand on the page made their index fingers inadvertently brush.

"S-s-sorry." Hinata gushed, mortified at her clumsiness while drawing her hand speedily to her chest, attempting to bow at the same time. _"I'm sorry Naruto! I didn't mean to cheat on you, I'll understand if you never want to talk to me again."_

"Read." Shino replied, still lacking almost any emotion.

Hesitantly Hinata uncurled and _carefully _underlined the passage with her own small, pale digits. Shino was correct. After reading quietly Hinata looked up and gave him a small, uncertain smile before quickly editing her notes. Normally at this point she would go back to idly watching Naruto preform more rambunctious behavior but something stopped her. Looking down at the notes in her hands Hinata realized, if one section of her notes was wrong others might be as well. And while the painfully shy girl might usually have waited to go back over them at home there was no time for that now, not if she wanted to beat Sakura. Swallowing a lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat she turned back to Shino.

"U-umm... c-could you h-help me review ma-my n-n-notes?" she squeaked, already starting to bow in apology for disturbing her silent classmate.

Shino didn't move for a moment. Hinata's head fell but before she could begin her stammering apology she heard a quite rustle of paper. Looking up Hinata saw her notes in one of Shino's hands while the other practically blurred over the papers. Watching in awe Hinata heard Iruka finally stop yelling at Naruto and start class. Peeking towards the front she saw Sakura waltz down, swinging her hips just a little extra for Sasuke, and preform the _'Transformation'_ technique. Leaving the class seeing double as she overlapped her own form with a copy of their teachers. Confused Hinata checked the clock, the exam's weren't suppose to start till after lunch. Watching a moment longer she realized Naruto had gotten them all a last minute review. Turning back to Shino she saw, almost in disbelief, that he was holding the stack of notes back towards her.

Taking the pile of papers Hinata asked "Are th-there any m-more inconsistencies in m-my n-notes?"

Shino proceeded to spread the papers out on the desk before her, pointedly looking at the line forming for their practice session, before taking a pen and marking a few sections. Looking over the papers again Shino seemed to exude an aura of... contentment, as he pulled his own notes out and marked a few sections. Sliding his notes over on top of her own the silent boy in his light blue trench-coat rose to join the line.

"The basics of team-work are to provide what your team-mates are missing. Be that information or anything else. Our class is a team." he stated.

"Thank y-you!" Hinata exlaimed, quickly re-writing a few of her notes to reflect the Aburame's before rising herself.

The class quickly passed through the review. Naruto's use of his _'Sexy'_ technique instead of the requested _'Transformation' _resulted in him spending the rest of the class period tied to his chair directly in front of Iruka's desk with a _'Silence'_ genjutsu placed on him, a technique Iruka had the village genjutsu mistress, Kurenai Yuhi, develop _specifically_ for use on the boy. It stopped him from talking while still allowing him to hear or raise his hand if he had a question. while Iruka tried to pound the reviewing material home with the slightly-dense boy.

Hinata had fixed her notes and returned Shino's before pouring over the corrected information. Looking over them Hinata was fairly certain Shino had just given her correct answers to at least two questions that she otherwise would have missed. The gap between her and her pink-haired rival was closing. And Hinata felt oddly accomplished, she had interacted with a classmate. He didn't even seem to hate her and went out of his way to help fix her notes. Now ready and with her usually fractured confidence buoyed Hinata waited for the exam impatiently.

Her quiet urging to the clock eventually did the trick and the bell rung to signal lunch. The class rose and made their way outside at varying speeds. Naruto and Kiba practically tearing down walls to escape the confining building, Shino and Shikamaru moving barely fast enough to qualify as a walk. Sasuke strutted calmly with his fan-girls, Sakura and Ino, falling in line. Clearly marking their progress through the building with copious puddles of drool.

Securing her notes and supplies Hinata scurried out the door behind the rest of her classmates. Clearing the academy doors she blinked a few times in the sudden brightness and heat that the late spring sun threw off. Shading her pale eyes the girl made her way out of habit over to the shade of the swinging tree, named such after the swing that had been installed the year her class started at the academy. Lowering herself down onto a particularly thick root Hinata pulled one of the two lunchboxes she had prepared out and prepared to eat. A growling sound made the girl look around hurriedly and then almost fall over as she recognized the boy swinging lightly back and forth.

Blond hair stood at varying degrees of attention as a whisker-marked face pressed lightly into the coarse rope holding the swing. His normal orange jacket had been removed and laid out on the board that made the seat of the swing behind him. The black undershirt was slightly damp and clung to the boy as he slowly rocked back and forth, brilliant blue eyes staring ahead without focus from a face that had seen far to much of the nature of humanity for its few years. Hinata felt the rush of blood towards her head start from the bottoms of her feet, a deliciously sweet shiver that only Naruto provoked. Glancing down she still saw his legs, drawn up to keep from dragging his blue sandals through the dirt. She had never seen his ankles so clearly before, the smooth, darkened skin of his feet stretched taut over the small knob of bone before it continued either down to his calloused toes, or disappeared up the bright orange of his pants. The shiver ran up and down her body, ricocheted off her shoulders and chest to impact directly on Hinata's heart.

"_He's so beautiful."_ she whispered even in the confines of her head, lunchbox laying forgotten on her knees.

"Oh! Sorry I didn't see you there Hinata." his voice broke the spell, but Hinata couldn't remember how long she had been staring at him. Somehow the boy had moved from his seat on the swing to crouching about a foot and a half from her, jacket slung over one shoulder as he smiled.

"I can leave if you want, don't let me interrupt your lunch." the boy continued, a pointed growl from his own stomach reminding Hinata of the situation she had been preparing for since the day she saw him.

Her fingers spasmed, trying to reach her satchel while her voice suddenly ran away, laughing at her as she tried desperately to catch it. All she could manage was a squeak as the lunchbox perched precariously on her knees suddenly teleported almost two feet in the air. As it rotated, showing the lovingly prepared ingredients to Naruto, his golden-brown hands slipped under it right before it fell into them. Almost as if by fate. Staring wide eyed at the fingers that now wrapped around the small tin Hinata felt her heart skip a beat, or maybe just stop all together. Her voice was still racing around, daring her to try and catch it.

"Here." the boy said, his smile suddenly seeming forced. "Lucky I'm a little quicker then gravity today, eh?"

"_NO! Keep it, I wanted to give it to you!"_ Hinata practically screamed, furiously trying to grab her voice as it danced, just out of reach. _"Please take it."_

She felt the metal, warm from his hands, placed gently in her own cool, slightly quivering fingers. She felt the wind come off the boy as he rose, still with that horrid, forced smile that made her feel sick drawn on his face. Turning he started to walk away, waving back at her over his shoulder.

"It was for you." she whispered, one hand holding the box her crush had just returned. The other resting on the lid of the second she had made, just for today.

Thinking back Hinata remembered her first few glimpses of the boy.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

"_Come on Hinata." called to the five year old still staring heart-broken at the racks of candy that she had just been denied._

"_B-but Mommy... I just want one, promise!" the child wailed, trying very, very hard to show her sincerity._

"_No hunny. I don't want you to spoil your appetite. Don't you want to have some of Mommy's dumplings later?" reasoned her mother._

_Sucking her thumb for a moment the tiny girl finally decided that eating dumplings with her mother would be far more enjoyable then candy, even if it was delicious. Nodding at the older woman Hinata broke into a tottering run and snatched her mothers larger hand in her own._

"_Lets go right now, Mommy." she stated, pulling with her meager weight in the direction of the Hyuga compound._

"_Not just yet darling. Mommy has to pick up some supplies first, otherwise there will be no dumplings!" plastering a mask of fake horror on her face the older Hyuga felt it crack and crumble at her daughters exaggerated reactions._

_Gripping the girls hand she continued on with her shopping. The girl toddling along at her side._

_Hinata was happy to be out in the market. She didn't get out of the compound much so every outing was a wonderful experience. There were so many new sights, smells, and textures for the child to revel in. She was running her fingers up and down a bolt of cloth when she saw the most amazing thing her eyes had feasted on in her short five year life._

_There was a boy running through the road, but unlike any other boy she had seen his hair shone like gold, and there were three whisker like marks on his face. The girl couldn't help but think of the kittens she had seen earlier that day. Though if she had to pick for some reason she would much rather take the boy home to play with. She understood the concept of 'playing' from what her mother explained when they passed a park on their way here. It had taken a while for her to understand that most children her age would run around together instead of spend their days learning proper etiquette or forms. If she could though Hinata wished to run her fingers through that strikingly beautiful hair. Jerking her mothers hand Hinata's other hand forgot the bolt of cloth and pointed towards the golden-haired child._

"_Mommy, mommy, mommy! Look, that boy has yellow hair!" Hinata cheered._

_The naturally shy girl was practically bouncing at this point, causing her mother to send an off-hand inquisitive glance towards the object that could illicit such a response. Upon laying eyes on the only blond in sight her eyes hardened. Kneeling down in front of her daughter the woman sighed and pulled her face towards herself instead of the boy that skipped lightly down the road._

"_Hinata. You should ignore that boy. He's dangerous." she said, unsure of how to elude the third Hokage's decree that no-one could divulge the information of the demon fox's container to their children._

"_But mommy! He has the most __**beautiful gold**__ hair! Can I have hair like that?" the girl complained, trying to turn her head back to drink in the sight of the bright headed boy while absently running a hand through her own midnight-blue tresses._

"_No baby, your hair is like mommy's. Don't you like mommy's hair?" the woman inquired._

"_I like mommy's hair... Could mommy make her hair yellow?" the girl said after a moment, face falling slightly at the older woman's sigh and negative reply._

"_That's ok mommy. I like your hair too!" the girl said, not wanting to make her mother upset but still trying to stare at the golden locks that stood on the boys head._

"_Why thank you baby. I also like your hair!" running a hand through the mentioned silky threads her mother rose, mumbling something about a "Phase." before continuing her interrupted shopping._

_Hinata simply watched the boy happily run to and fro on his meandering way down the street. Stopping here to poke at a bug, or there to try and stand on his head. He avoided the stalls and most of the bigger individual's that made their way along the road. Leaning out the door of the store Hinata watched until the boy finally turned a corner and disappeared, leaving the most particular empty feeling in her chest. Sighing the girl turned back to watching her mother shop. Thoughts that once danced with dumplings now swirling around her and a small blond laughing and chasing each other._

_-3 years later-_

_Hinata had a special job today. She was to go out to the market by herself and pick out a new coat! It was the girls first time allowed out of the house since a bad man tried to run away with her. The happy child didn't notice the three Hyuga clan members that shadowed her every move. Skipping down the street the girl was oddly reminded of something that happened a long time ago. Something that she couldn't place, but knew that golden hair was a part of. Glancing around she didn't see anyone with the mentioned color around. Brushing the thoughts off she continued towards the shop her father had recommended._

_On the way she decided to be adventurous and take a slight detour through a particular alley. Squealing at her own daring the girl ran through the littering of rubbish and crates. Dancing around them and laughing with herself. The end of the game came all to soon for the young Hyuga as she popped back out onto the far side of the alley. Glancing around she tried to remember where to go. Finally deciding to wander around until she stumbled across something familiar._

_The road she was on had a darker feel to it the the one she left. Not scary, just... it felt like the rooms in the Hyuga compound that were never used anymore, namely her mothers rooms. An empty, lonely feeling that Hinata didn't particularly enjoy, but empathize with since her mother had disappeared. Walking up the almost empty street she looked around again, hoping something would stand out. _

_The one thing she hadn't expected to see was gold._

_There it was, like a dream the spiky sea-urchin cast from a piece of the sun followed a large man with a green-flack jacket into a small restaurant. Hinata couldn't stop her feet as they chased after them, only managing to take control right before she passed under the cloths that spelled out the name 'Ichiraku's' across the opening. Looking in she saw a few small tables scattered about and a long bar with stools, She could only see three people inside. One was the biggest man she had seen in her life, he was dressed in a white apron and stood behind the bar chatting with the man wearing the flack-jacket who was seated at one of the bar stools now that she was closer she recognized her teacher, Iruka. Beside him was the shining boy holding a menu in his dirty hands. Dressed in a scruffy dark t-shirt and shorts he look dusty, warm, and thoroughly **alive.** His animated hands swung back and forth as he laid down the menu and shouted something to the man behind the counter. Turning he continued to talk in the loudest voice Hinata had heard._

"_Thank you Iruka! I haven't had ramen since this morning!" at this comment the man in the flack-jacket simply sighed._

"_You should eat more then ramen Naruto. Some vegetables or fruit would be better for you. You don't wanna stop growing do you?" the shocked look on the boys face plucked on Hinata's heart._

"_NOOOOOOO! Oi, Teuchi! Put some vegetables in my ramen!" the boy shouted, hopping to his feet on top of the stool. _

_There was a shout of approval from the kitchen before the boy managed to drop back to his seat and continue._

"_So Iruka you said I'm going to a new class?" grabbing a pair of chopsticks from the cup in front of him the boy named Naruto fixed the man with a piercing blue gaze._

"_Yes, Naruto. The Hokage agreed to move you into the class I'm teaching full-time instead of the group being taught by Korchi." Iruka looked up as the man in the apron came back carrying two giant steaming bowls._

"_Really!" the boy was spinning his chair around and around while talking. "That's great! Now I'll get to see you everyday!"_

"_Hello there little miss!" the big man suddenly called to her, interrupting the shared laughter of the two seated at his counter. "Would you like to come in?"_

_Hinata froze in panic. She was suppose to be buying a new coat, not watching Naruto. Squeaking she turned to go but a second call stopped her._

"_Come have some ramen! Teuchi makes the best ramen in Konoha! It's even better then cup-ramen!" the boy said, a smile bright enough to be compared to the sun plastered over his face._

_Hinata couldn't leave, not when **he** asked her to stay. She didn't know why his voice carried so much weight, so much power over her, but before she could consider another course of action she was seated on the other side of Iruka from him and had a steaming bowl of noodles in front of her. Once she was seated Iruka recognized her and after greeting her by name turned to Naruto._

"_This is Hinata, she is a student in your new class!"_

"_Really! Nice to meet you Hinata!" the boy said, and Hinata wondered where her voice went._

"_She's rather shy, Naruto." Iruka chided._

_The rest of the meal passed as a blur for Hinata. All she could remember was the cheerful sound of Naruto's voice as he and Iruka talked for what might have been forever. The warmth of the steam that rose from the bowl before her, the smell of thick broth and vegetables that permeated the air. When a hand fell on her shoulder and she saw one of her fathers retainers it even brought a sense of regret that she wouldn't be able to just sit and listen anymore._

"_Come, Hinata." the man said, his pale eyes expressionless as he laid a few coins on the counter near her un-touched bowl. "I'll make sure she gets home Iruka." he continued to her teacher._

"_Alright." the man said before turning back to his newest student, __**her**__ newest classmate._

_Rising in a daze Hinata let the man lead her to the door._

"_And Iruka." her escort said, looking out at the street. Hinata looked back to see her teacher turn around again._

"_Be careful who see's you with... __**that**__. I can overlook it, but I'm sure Hiashi would make more then a tiny scene if he knew you were treating his daughter at the same table as... __**it**__." his words were cold and sharp, making Hinata shiver after bathing in the warmth the pair at the counter threw carelessly about._

"_I see, thank you." waving Iruka turned back to Naruto as Hinata's escort pulled her away from the ramen stand and off to the store to complete her original task._

"_I'm so glad you brought me out for food Iruka! It's the nicest thing anyone's done for me!" Naruto's words and laughter echoed down the street after the retreating girl._

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

After that incident Naruto had joined their class. It wasn't unheard of for students to switch classes, not that it was commonplace either. Hinata had taken those last words of Naruto's to heart and started preparing two lunches with the idea of offering him one. Somehow the opportunity had never arisen that first year, or the one after that, or the one after that. Her natural shyness and Naruto's oblivious nature had formed a sort of barrier that neither were able to breach. Not until today, and yet there the small tin sat, nestled in the palm of her hand as the boy she had admired for most of her life walked away hungry.

Something wet landed on her hand. Looking down Hinata realized the world was blurry and warped. Water fell from her eyes, splattering silently onto her hands and handi-work. Somehow it was just too much effort to rise, to much to wipe them away, the most she could do at the moment was breath and try not to let the sounds of her pain be heard.

* * *

II.

* * *

I realize Naruto was suppose to be in the same class as the rest of the students but the flashbacks wouldn't line up if I did so. (Hinata would have known his name for the second one and I still wanted him to be an elusive, almost dream-like individual for her) It also would make sense for several classes to be going as only nine new ninja a year would make it rather difficult for Konoha to replace any losses through retirement, permanent damage, or death of their primary source of income.

Iruka and Naruto have a much more brotherly relation in this fic, I hope you all don't mind as it will play less of a part in the story once the teams are formed. I also mentioned before, Naruto is slightly smarter in this fic. He's not a genius, still dead last in the class, but that is more due to his inability to _study_ in a sense then because he's dumb.

Hinata's mother not liking Naruto at first sight: Why should she? She has her own family issues to deal with and doesn't want her daughter to get drawn into the dislike that trails after Naruto, she may just be concerned for her daughters safety. Does this make her an evil, bad person? I don't think so. She is protecting _her_ child, even if the threats are imaginary. Naruto's situation is unfortunate, maybe down the line if she hadn't died Hinata's mother would have reached out to the boy when her daughter continued to be fascinated with him. We'll never know (till one of you writes a story about it. Go. I dare you) but I don't think less of her character in this particular situation as out of a whole village no-one ever stood up for the boy in his daily life.

Finally... Why does everyone assume Hinata's mother was a saint? We know nothing of her character except some fond memories (people tend to forget flaws in others as time goes by). I'm not saying she was an evil person, heck if anything she was probably a fantastic mother, but that doesn't mean she has to be a saint. Besides, now you've seen a slightly different Mother figure for Hinata, and in the end that's why we have Fanfiction, right?

Thanks for sticking with me!

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	3. Chapter 3

Another chapter!

July 2012 edit.

August 2012 edit: Verbage again... Playing with semicolons (my grammar nemesis), any of you grammar savvy people that want to que me in on if I did it right or not feel free to go wild.

talking/normal stuff

_thoughts/emphasis_

**Gods/demons/more emphasis**

You get one guess... That's RIGHT! I still do not own Naruto.

* * *

III.

* * *

Looking over his shoulder Naruto scowled. The petite Hyuga was shivering and hadn't even made a motion towards the lunchbox he had returned.

"_Am I __**that**__ scary?"_ the boy pondered, feeling slightly guilty about his actions. Until he remembered how his meetings with Hyuga clan members outside of the academy often went. Trying unsuccessfully to lose the bitter memories Naruto turned back around to enter the school, lunch period would be over in another ten minutes and he wanted to see if Iruka would practice with him again. Thinking of spending time with his teacher, perhaps friend, was enough to dispel the dark clouds that had begun to develop around him.

Shaking himself like a dog that just climbed out of a lake the boy quickly threw his mask back in place. As his hand came to rest on the door he felt a similar appendage come to rest on his shoulder. Turning the blond's bright blue eyes met the dark grey of Kiba Inuzaka. The other boys eyes were hard, and there was a threatening aura in his stance. Not particularly overjoyed at the thought of a brawl right before their final exam Naruto held his sigh inside and turned to face the slightly taller boy, noting that even his puppy, Akamaru, seemed unhappy with him.

"Yes Kiba?" Naruto asked coldly, remembering he was suppose to be mad at Kiba anyway for that incident in the classroom this morning.

"You should go apologize to her." his brown-haired classmate stated.

"I didn't do _anything_!" Naruto said in an exasperated manner.

"And apparently that was enough to make her cry. Go ahead, look." the Inuzaka said, raising a finger to subtly point at the girl who was indeed starting to cry.

"But! I... aw, to hell with it." Naruto finally said, grabbing the sleeve of the boys fur-lined coat to throw the limb off.

Rudely pushing past Kiba, Naruto tried not to stomp too obviously as he made his way back to the quiet, slightly creepy girl. Tossing his jacket down near the corner of the building Naruto felt himself getting worked up.

"_God! Why am I doing this? Stupid peer-pressure. Stupid Kiba, I'll make sure your clan compound gets a remake, Naruto-style, before the week is out. THEN I'll get revenge for that stunt in the classroom."_ diving into the beginnings of a plan to paint the Inuzaka compound over with skunk spray and some of the slimier leavings from a little restaurant located in the slums, right across from his apartment actually, was enough to bring a smile back to Naruto's face. Stupid dog-ninjas, that will teach them to mess with the man who was gonna be Hokage! Till he realized he had already reached his destination and would have to halt his scheming to deal with this... mess, in front of him.

Hinata still hadn't moved. If Naruto couldn't actually see the tears forming and falling he would have thought she had died where she sat from him touching her lunch. If only it actually worked like that... there wouldn't be much of a village left though Naruto had to admit. He didn't... actively hate any of the villagers, not anymore at least, but he had gone through a phase where a power like that would have been disastrous in his hands. The brutality of their actions, the cold ways they looked at him, all had simply become something he was used to and expected after years and years of it. The worst were the ones that hid their disgust and loathing for him behind shoddy, half-hearted masks of caring. The wrinkled face of a particular manager of a certain orphanage came to mind unbidden. Yes... Being able to kill someone by touching their food would defiantly have been the cause of wide-spread casualties.

Breaking another dark train of thought Naruto turned his attention back to the girl seated before him crying. Why did girls always cry? Naruto had stopped crying, as much as possible for a young boy, as soon as he realized no-one would be coming to take him back to the orphanage that had been his home for five and a half years after the aforementioned manager left him sitting in a park in the dead of winter with nothing but his t-shirt, shorts and a thin, ratty blanket that he still had folded neatly under his pillow. Catching himself rambling again Naruto frowned.

"_Damn it, focus Naruto. There is a girl. She's crying. Apparently its your fault. There is the situation, now HANDLE IT!"_ mentally slapping himself around a bit Naruto finally knelt down in front of Hinata for the second time in four minutes.

"Hey." he said quietly, seeing no response he tried again.

"_Hey_." still nothing.

"_**Hey**_**!**" that was it, he was done with the whole consideration of feelings bullcrap.

"OI! Your _suppose_ to listen to people when they talk to you! Especially future Hokage's!" shaking the girl from her self-induced stupor Naruto grinned slightly as life sparked back into her eyes.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, grin fading as he remembered the objective of his quest. "I'm not really sure how I upset you but I wanted to say I'm sorry." if Hinata's eye's got any bigger they were going to swallow her face.

"_Seriously, what is wrong with this girl?" _Naruto mumbled as the tears slowed, not stopped yet but definitely slowed. Deciding that if he was going to do this... apology, he sure as heck wasn't going to do it anything less than Naruto levels of dedication. One didn't paint over the whole Hokage _Mountain_ in red paint without some serious resolve, not when a whole village would go into an uproar if one soul looked up.

"I'll pay for the lunchbox, and the food." he continued, calculating the price in his head while throwing on a grin and scratching the back of it with his left hand. His next set of clothing would have to wait another month it seemed, unless Iruka had something he could wear. Marking that thought for later digestion Naruto tried to keep his jittery focus on the girl.

"N-no!" the girl finally responds!

_'Thank god she isn't mute!'_

"Well I can't really think of any other way to make it up to you then. Though if you had something in mind..." Naruto left the words hanging, trying to make sense of the emotions that were flashing in front of him and give the girl a chance to decree his fate.

Most of them he couldn't recognize, and most of the ones he knew and expected were... absent. Surprisingly this was not comforting in the slightest. Naruto was fairly certain the girl was so mad or upset with him now that she couldn't even tell how to make a proper face for it. Readying for the open-handed slap that would be soon to come, or maybe a fist as she was training to be a ninja and therefore could probably through a half-way decent punch. She got good taijutsu scores too if his fuzzy memory for the subject was right. Naruto swore he would only let her hit him once though. He wasn't going to be a punching-bag right before the biggest test of his life, especially since he had failed the previous two exams.

What he didn't expect was the girl to pull him forward, making him lean over her as she started crying again into his shirt. Several different emotions clashed in the boy.

Most prominent he found he wanted to run, very, very far away. Hinata might not act like it but she was important, not only that, but she was important in the largest clan in the whole village. If Naruto couldn't get her to calm down he would probably be murdered in his sleep or find that he couldn't even buy things like food. The later being far worse then the former as a slow death from ramen starvation was something Naruto would wish on no person, animal, or other living thing. The Hyuga were never overly aggressive to him as a whole, individuals will always be... individual in their reactions and Naruto had learned to avoid several of the clansmen throughout the years. But that was before he made their heiress so mad all she could do was hold him weakly and cry into his chest.

If leaving the village was an option Naruto would be head over heels in his rush to escape. While he wanted... needed to become Hokage so that people would finally see him, not the monster they seemed to think he was, he couldn't do that if some Hyuga flunky murdered him. That left diffusing this _volatile_ situation.

His other idea of trying to shake her off would probably only escalate the situation, as would the third idea of holding her. Iruka holding him had been one of the most... painful yet wonderful things in his life, but Naruto didn't know how to treat a girl. They were backwards in everything else. Like, afraid or grossed out by bugs or toads. Didn't like getting dirty, let their hair grow out far to long to be practical. Who had time to waste washing all that hair? Sakura would look a lot better with shoulder length or shorter hair. Least Hinata was smart enough to keep her's short.

"_Greeeeeaaaat. Leave it to the neighborhood prankster to calm down a twelve year old girl. Could my life get __**any**__ better right now. Kiba, your entire family will be eyes deep in crap, some of it will even be from your own kennels, when I'm done with you."_ sifting slightly, since he was going to have to sit through this he might as well be comfortable during his last days on earth, Naruto searched for the right words to get himself out of this mess.

"_Entire family now includes your unborn children. And those of your sister."_ he added.

"Ummmm..." the syllables scampered around his lumbering mental fingers like squirrels on crack.

"I suppose I could wait till your ready to... talk?" Naruto finally managed, squirming a little more to relieve a cramp that was starting in his leg.

The straight crying had slowly turned into something of a more muted sniffling. Naruto made another mental note to change shirts when he got home. He was all for running around in mud, rolling in dead animals, and even trash before wearing the clothes for another two or three days, bathing could be done after a week or so. Basically once Iruka could smell him from the back row in class, another good punishment for the Inuzaka with his _special_ nose... if they weren't graduating today. But that was completely different then having someone else blowing snot and salt water into your clothing. He would also have to put his jacket back on. Something the boy was _not_ looking forward to in the upper seventy degree heat.

So the last six minutes of his lunch passed. Not doing anything productive, except maybe convincing the heiress to _not_ send her retainers out for his head as soon as class was done, simply staring at the bark in front of him while listening to the quieting noise from the dark-haired girl in front of him. At least she seemed to be getting control of her emotions. He had really wanted to practice that _'Clone'_ technique at least once, but doing it without Iruka to correct him wouldn't do much.

"_ARRRGH! Why didn't I think of that! I could have had a clone do this! Gosh I'm stupid."_ Naruto swore in his head. Forgetting that a simple clone would have been destroyed the moment Hinata tried to touch it.

"Hey, the bells gonna ring in a few seconds. Could we maybe... continue this later?" Naruto bargained. Maybe when she saw he was going to try and take responsibility for making her upset she would feel slightly worse about sending people to cut him in a variety of painful and probably lethal manners.

Suddenly deciding to use her hand, though at this point she might as well have used his shirt again, it wouldn't make much of a difference, to wipe her nose the girl mumbled something, squeaked, and then let go of him like he had been lit on fire. She immediately tried to look up, her eyes made it as far as his lips and then immediately dropped back to the ground while she tried to make her head explode from the influx of blood to the appendage.

Not even bothering to try and make out her unintelligible stutters Naruto simply smiled and said "After class then." before getting to his feet and making a beeline for his coat.

Slipping into the heavy, sweltering orange fabric almost made Naruto decide that having a giant wet, sticky patch on the front of his shirt was no big deal. Ino and Sakura choose that moment to walk by though, of course talking about how Sasuke always looked so cool, so handsome, never with sweaty patches or snot on his shirt, and so on and so forth. Needless to say, the coat went on like the temperature had dropped into the negatives over the last two seconds as the girls passed him.

"_Why does everything have to go wrong __**today!**__ Yesterday was a perfectly fine day for terrible crap to happen. Actually yesterday would have been the best day __**ever**__ for bad stuff to occur... but no, has to be today."_ kicking the door to the school Naruto was painfully reminded that the doors opened outward.

While hopping around expelling curses not normally found in a twelve-year-olds vocabulary; compliments of a still single, underpaid, and overworked teacher Naruto snuck a peek over near the swing where the source of most of his irritation had been sitting. Hinata was in the process of trying to rise to her feet, replace the lid on the small lunchbox, eat from said lunchbox, and shove mentioned lunchbox into her satchel. Rice was going everywhere and Naruto almost laughed before he remembered _who_ she was so upset with.

"_I'm soooo dead. Iruka I hope you can find some of the pieces so I'll be more then just a headstone."_ cursing even louder the blond finally propped the door open and worked his painful, slow and awkward way back to the classroom.

Hopefully getting his Konoha fore-head protector would be enough to make this day a success.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

"Cough up, Inuzaka." Shikamaru lazily said as the bell rang.

"Damn it! I was sure that they would at least leave together. How retarded can Naruto be?" the wild boy groaned before passing his lunch money for the day over the the relaxing Nara.

"Whats the score at now?" the boy asked as he prepared to slink into class.

"To troublesome to keep score." Shikamaru replied, pocketing the change before stretching and heading back to class himself. He had won every bet they had ever made involving Naruto and Hinata, for some reason Kiba and Choji thought the boy would spot the girls obvious crush every few months. The lazy shadow user knew better. Naruto wouldn't ever figure it out himself, and Hinata was too shy to push the issue, if the two were gonna end up even as friends it would have to involve some outside influence and more then Kiba just pointing out to Naruto that Hinata existed.

Today was shaping up to be fantastic though. If it wasn't so troublesome to collect the money from the other three in on the bet.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

The school bell going off was like the start of waking from a dream for Hinata. She hadn't decided if it was a horrible nightmare, or the sweetest dream she had ever had. Naruto had come back to her, thinking _he_ had done something wrong. Like she could ever blame him for anything. The boy had even quietly let her cry her frustrations out into his musky torso. After the horrible despair that had been eating her alive his return and gallant behavior were a balm that soothed far better then the warmest, longest bath Hinata could think of. It was almost like having her mother back, the only person older than her she would personally admit to being family with. But mother was gone, and Hanabi needed a strong sister, not that Hinata was doing any good, but she had to try.

She would bear it for her sister's sake, the sister who would grow up without a loving mother to counteract their distant and insatiable father. Hiashi Hyuga always wanted more. Getting eighty and ninty percent scores on tests wasn't enough, a Hyuga should be perfect. Why didn't she out-perform the Uchiha, that should be something she was capable of at _least_. Why could she not preform the motions to their clans _'Gentle fist'_ style after witnessing them for a few repetitions? Requiring several hours to learn such basic stances and strikes was unthinkable. How could she accidentally forget to set her spoon down at a perfect ninety degree angle to the edge of the table? Did she _want_ to bring shame down upon the clan?

As the harsh memories tried to drag Hinata down into her own personal well of sorrow a golden shadow passed over them. Pushed them away and all she could remember was the warmth of skin through the rough texture of a black shirt. The way his chest moved with every breath, rocking her worries away. The incredibly _boyish_ smell of him, Naruto. The only boy with personality to match his bright hair in a sea of dark, brooding, and dismissive individuals. A light in the gloom that was her life.

And he wanted to see _her_ again! After class! Hinata's blush bloomed once again. She knew she would be scolded, which meant a training session with Neji while her father talked about _tardiness,_ if she returned more then a few minutes late. But if that time before she got home was spent with Naruto... She could take it. Better she know the reason behind her _punishment_ then for it to come from left field somewhere. And even the worst session with Neji couldn't be bad enough to discourage her from spending time with her crush.

Confidence buoyed for the second time that day Hinata resolved to utterly and _ruthlessly_ crush her competition. One Sakura Harano. If she could just pass _her_, Hinata would be able to spend almost every day with Naruto. Doing team things like eating together, training together; going on missions together, even camping together. The possibilities would be endless.

All she had to do to reach that wonderful future was defeat the undisputed highest-scoring female in the academy. The girl received a _plaque_ two years ago for her test score averages being the highest out of any of the five major hidden villages. Of course, a few months later her rivalry with Ino over Sasuke reached new, practically untouched heights so of course the girl had made herself appear less intelligent then she really was. No guy wanted to date a girl _that_ much smarter, or at least perceived as smarter then themselves. Which didn't speak well for her own crush, but _Sakura_ was the problem right now.

The bell had indeed rung, noticing that even Shikamaru was headed inside Hinata panicked. Trying to eat and put away her lunch for a moment before realizing just how absurd that was. Replacing the lid she placed the now almost half-empty, most of it was on the ground around her feet actually, container inside her satchel and ran for the door.

Hinata being late for class was unheard of. So unheard of that the moment the class realized she was the last one to set foot in the classroom, much less on time, there was an explosion of forced whispers. Except from one Inuzaka.

"HAH! Look at that, one little talk with Naruto over by the tree and Hinata's practically copying him. I'm surprised you used the door instead of the window!" laughing at his own joke Kiba leaned back in his chair while Hinata tried to rush to her spot in the vain hope that no-one would notice.

"Hey! It's not her fault. I tripped and knocked some of her lunch all over the ground." Naruto spoke up. If Hinata hadn't been more focused on reaching her chair she probably would have swooned; not realizing the boy had decided it in his best interest to try and divert attention from her breakdown for fear of repercussions that she was not only incapable of ordering, but would never honestly even consider.

"So why were you all close and cozy then?" Kiba continued. "I think we might have a new couple today class. Their already to first base, maybe even second!" a few scattered chuckles erupted throughout the room in response.

"OI! No way in hell! I'm totally devoted to my Sakura!" the over-reactive blond roared, rising from his chair to silence the snickering hound. Hinata's face fell at his frenzied denial of interest in her.

"Hinata! Please take him _away_ from me!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her forearm to her forehead. "I will miss him _ever_ so much, but the love of my Sasuke will fill the cold, bitter void within me in a world without Naruto!"

Dramatically lowering her arm and head Sakura proceeded to latch herself onto the mentioned Uchiha's arm. Quickly releasing him when she saw he was not amused. Naruto was reduced to sputtering as the class all got a laugh. Hinata was silently fuming as the girl once again threw her crushes affections back in his teeth. Of course she should refuse his advances... but she didn't have to be so _cruel_ about it. At least Naruto hadn't been physically abused today. That thought was quickly scratched as Naruto leaped in front of Sakura to once again proclaim his affections; which were of course followed by his usual return of tender, loving beatings.

Iruka let this continue for almost a minute, still mad about the _'Sexy'_ technique Naruto had shamelessly used early no doubt, before taking command of the class again. Once everyone was seated he went over the rules for the test. They were the same rules read off for every test since their first year, stating for the hopefully last time that anyone caught cheating would be sent back to their first year if not kicked out of the program entirely. Hinata amused herself with the reason that the teachers had specifically used the word _caught _for the entirety of their attendance. She knew that some students graduated from the school without studying at all. Her father had been talking about how the members of some of the Hokage's personal ANBU were filled when she overheard him mention several students who had managed to create their personal methods of information gathering due to such carefully concealed loopholes in the academy curriculum.

If she herself wasn't fairly gifted with excellent academic scores, not as high as her cousin Neji, but he was brilliant, Hinata might have been tempted to use her blood-line's _unique_ advantage in the classroom. However as most of the class had lower scores and using similar phrasing too often would be a dead giveaway Hinata had refrained from doing so. The idea of receiving credit for something she had not done herself was also rather unwelcome to the girl.

Dragging her attention back to the papers that were being passed around Hinata went back to reviewing everything she remembered from her notes and lectures over the last several months. Making sure to keep the changes Shino had made to her notes in mind. As the mentioned Aburame handed her an answer sheet the girl vowed to ace this test, fires lighting up in her eyes. Neji's Jonin instructor, one Might Guy, would have been proud at the sudden display of determination.

Iruka then flipped the board at the front of the classroom with the questions on it over. Displaying their final test in all its glory. Fifty questions that would plumb the depths of their memories. Some came from as far back as their initial entry ceremony; What color was the robe that the thrid Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was wearing for the event? The wording leading many to the assumption he changed colors from year to year. Which would be false. He always wore his white and red robes. While others came from their lecture yesterday on chakra theory; How would one go about injecting chakra into another person or being in a non-harmful manner? This could be any number of medical techniques, Hinata put down four just to be safe.

The test was set to take the average student fifty-five minutes to complete all the questions. They were given one hour in which to complete the test. Any unanswered questions would be counted against their score twice, or worth negative two points instead of negative one, Naruto had managed to get seventy-six points off on his first exam, after that he wised up and put something in every question, even if it was wrong. The passing minimum was thirty-seven points, or seventy-four percent. Wishing Naruto luck on habit before focusing on her own struggle with the dreaded board Hinata set out to steal Sakura's usual place in the test scores.

Thirty five minutes later Hinata laid down her pencil and glanced around. Sakura had apparently been done for a while as she was brushing her hair in a habitual manner. Sasuke and Shikamaru were the only other two not writing furiously and both had returned to their normal positions. Shikamaru was leaned back napping, and Sasuke had his fingers crossed right before his nose leaning on the desk-top with his elbows. Nervous about finishing fourth Hinata started checking over her answers. After five minutes of re-checking she couldn't find anything wrong. Not that the incorrect answers would paint themselves in bright red that shouted _'failure'_ at her until the test was already over.

Hinata was worried. Her confidence was plummeting with every second that went by. Sakura had finished before her, and probably gotten every answer right. Hinata felt herself start to breath quicker, the world was spinning. Her stomach felt hollow and painful at the same time and she wanted to throw up when she knew that there was nothing to bring out. Fixing her eyes on Naruto Hinata tried to calm down.

Usually staring at the boy as he quietly swore or talked himself through a question would put a rosy tint to Hinata's cheeks. Today it simply enforced how horrible failing would be. She would see him from time to time, but never again as often as these academy days. If she saw him even less how could she ever learn to talk to him. The one word she managed to squeak out when he was offering to pay for her lunchbox was the first thing she had ever said to him. If she couldn't see him every day...

"_Byakugan_" she practically mouthed. Ducking her head so that her hair fell over her eyes and temples where the veins began to bulge from the extra blood-flow and chakra. The world took on a blue-grey tint and started to stretch. Hinata had become use to the almost 360 degree vision that her family were capable of. While being able to see literally everything around her was good, Hinata was using her families advanced blood-line limit for its second purpose. Focusing she started to look _through_ Sakura, past the skin, past the glowing loops and swirls of the girls tiny chakra coils; looking past everything she was to get a glimpse of her test. Reading quickly while trying to maintain the minimum amount of chakra needed for the vision so as to avoid suspicion Hinata compared their answers. There were a few different answers but Hinata wasn't finished. Turning her 'focus', since turning her whole head was unnecessary and after repeatedly being struck by her father for _excessive_ head movements Hinata had mastered focusing on any portion of her 360 degree vision, slightly to the girls left she studied Sasuke's test as well.

Rushing slightly as she saw Iruka shift at the front of the room and feeling the strain of keeping her eye's active for almost twelve minutes Hinata compared the fruits of her less then honorable actions against her own work. When two of their answers were the same (Her and Sasuke, herself and Sakura, or Sakura and Sasuke) she took extra time to compare and occasionally edit her answers. Swearing that she would never do something so disgusting as cheating again Hinata prayed that Naruto would be able to forgive her if he ever found out. She knew her father wouldn't.

Confident that her answers were as good as they were possibly going to get Hinata tried to relax for the last few minutes before the written portion of the exam was over. She was curious as to what Naruto had written, but the already excessive use of her eyes during the exam made her far to nervous to try and sneak a peek. He would pass this time, she knew it. If Hinata was going to go so far as to cheat she knew that Naruto would be able to get at least the minimum.

Hinata jumped a little when Iruka finally shouted "Pencils down!" and began collecting the tests. Quickly passing her own in she fell in line as Iruka directed them down the hall and out into the practice yard slash playground. Mizuki was waiting there with a few crates of kunai and shuriken. The class was split in half and Hinata found herself standing in a line with the pale-haired chunin before her, a long row of targets behind him. She had also been separated from her crush, her rival, and Sasuke, she could see them lining up over in front of Iruka for the taijutsu exam.

"Right, you all know the drill. Four sets of Kunai, starting with two sets of three with circle targets. Then then two sets of five with dummy targets. Followed by four sets of shuriken, also starting with two sets of three with the circles and then two of five with dummies. You will be graded on accuracy and speed. Though I'd worry more about _hitting_ the target then throwing kunai as fast as possible." Mizuki explained as he began passing out the first set of three kunai to each student.

"Right, on your marks! Get set. GO!" as the man theatrically threw his arm Hinata felt her arm pull back in a natural, practiced motion. Setting her eyes dead in the center of her target she felt the tension in her arm explode and then release. Watching the sliver of black rocket from her hand towards the target Hinata forced her muscles to repeat the motion twice more. Her last kunai leaving her hand half a breath after the first had impacted the target, slightly to the left of the center. Her accuracy was good, almost exceptional as the three dark knives were all within a few centimeters of the darker red center bulls-eye. Unless she tried to imitate the Uchiha's throw-three-kunai-at-once there wouldn't be anyway to throw the objects any faster either.

After the rest of the group finished throwing they all walked down to retrieve their weapons, then tromped back to line up for another throw. Hinata's second set was neither better nor worse then her first, the practiced motions creating a very similar picture when the last kunai '_thunked'_ home in the wood. Again they marched down, pulled their weapons from the targets or ground, and returned. Mizuki then walked down the line and handed over two more kunai to each student before signaling the village hands to switch the targets.

The dummy targets were different from the standard circles. For starters they were made of tightly bound thin sticks that would deflect most wobbly or angled throws. There were also two bulls-eyes painted on them, one slightly to the left over the _'heart'_ of the dummy, and a smaller one on the head. Two of the slightly smaller then man sized targets were set up for each student. The premise was to land at least two kunai in either a single or combination of the _'kill'_ zones on both targets, since their were no legs and hence no arteries in the lower body worth hitting, that meant the chest or head, right where the bulls-eyes were. A combination or, one in the head and one or two in the body, was worth slightly more then landing two or three in a single target since it demonstrated more flexibility in their aim though only Sasuke seemed able to pull it off all the time with no problems.

Resolving to at least attempt one combination per set Hinata waited for the signal. As Mizuki's shout rang out and his arm dropped her first two kunai sped straight for the first dummies heart, quickly followed by a third towards its head. Shifting her eyes Hinata tossed her last two kunai towards the larger target on the second dummy. Watching with a small amount of satisfaction as they landed well within the _'kill'_ zone. Turning to the second she saw two kunai proudly standing from his heart, but the third had apparently skipped off the top of his head. Hinata used the extra time spent retrieving her kunai to debate the merits of continuing to attempt the combination. As long as she didn't miss with the rest of her weapons there was no problem. If she did miss with any of them though her score would suffer, something that she was still certain would be disastrous in her attempt to one-up Sakura. Resolving to hold onto her last kunai for an extra heart-beat Hinata wound herself up waiting for Mizuki's signal.

Her first kunai flew beautifully, as did her second. But the third wobbled, she could feel it even as the handle slipped through her fingers, almost making her step forward to reclaim it before it flickered away to skip off the second dummies arm. Hinata felt a panic attack coming on. She had _missed!_ Grabbing hold of the fear she wrestled with it for the briefest of moments before locking it away, promising that it could ravage her later, just not _right_ now. The fourth kunai felt like it was made of lead, dragging her hand down with expectations. Lifting it was almost to much, how could she throw the obscenely weighty object even as far as the target? Much less stick it through the armor-like twigs.

Right before she gave her half-hearted attempt she heard _his_ voice echo from the depths of her memories. "_After class then._" the briefest flicker of gold and orange passed before her eyes and Hinata felt the kunai grow weightless. Naruto was waiting for her. Looking at the dummy again Hinata only saw Sakura, the cruel, heartless girl who shamelessly spurred Hinata's love's heart-felt feelings. The sadist who beat him every day with joy. The girl who would continue to do so if Hinata didn't surpass her and join Naruto's team instead. Her last two kunai might as well have been magnetic. They flew, perfectly straight and sank wickedly deep into their targets. One from the chest, another in the center of the pinkette's eyes. Holding the mental image for a moment Hinata almost giggled. She _would_ save Naruto from the brutal rejections of Sakura. She was the only one who could do that for him.

With her new-found method of visualization Hinata preformed far above her usual standard with the shurikens, landing dangerously close to the center of the circle targets. Then planting two in each of the Sakura's chests and always one between those green taunting eyes. Hinata almost wished they could keep doing this all day.

The weapons portion of the exam was the shortest, therefore they had a few moments to watch the end of the taijutsu exam before they would start it themselves. The exam was simple; however time-consuming as Iruka had to watch each student preform a series of strikes, blocks, and movements. They would also pair up with the next student to demonstrate their footwork. No actual fighting occurred, too allow all the students to preform at their best, and they were only graded on how accurate their forms were. Hinata was ecstatic to realize that she would be able to watch Naruto preform.

The boy was waiting, next in line, while watching Sasuke preform with a grin on his face. When Sasuke had finished demonstrating all the forms that didn't require a partner he turned, with obvious reluctance, to face the blond. To say Naruto leaped into the ring with him would be like saying Choji was only slightly excited about going out for barbeque, Shikamaru probably would have been able to walk underneath the air-borne boy without slouching more then usual. Crowding right up to his classmates face Naruto took up his... unique stance.

Naruto was strong and fast, it was well known that the boy would regularly get chased by civilians and even lower ranked ninja after his pranks. He didn't always escape completely, but he didn't get caught all the time either and the speed at which the boy could move was almost exceptional for an academy student. While Naruto was probably faster and stronger then most of the boys in class he had one large, glaring defect. He didn't know how to move, or stand; or punch, or kick, or anything really. His wild haymakers and wide kicks would easily devastate his sparring partners, if they ever got hit. It was laughably easy to push the blows aside or avoid them entirely. Hinata had managed one exchange before fainting from his proximity their second year, Iruka had not made them spar again after that. His stance was so full of holes that even Ino, who worried more about her nails then her standing in the ranks, could land almost any attack she wanted on him. The boy could take an un-godly amount of punishment, but when his own furious blows would be shook off like a light breeze and his opponents would sink home without fail it was only a matter of time before he would fall.

That was the reason Naruto was dead-last in the class in taijutsu when he had the strength and flexibility to easily be in the top three. His poor stance was only made more obvious when he faced off against the number one in class, Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke had reached the pinnacle of their class his first year, and no-one but Naruto had continued to challenge him for that position. Sure Kiba wasn't that far behind, but the boy would only fight Sasuke halfheartedly, already sure of his defeat before the spar would even begin. Naruto's enthusiastic attempts were often and varied, he would launch a sneak attack the moment Sasuke decided to nap during lunch, or while he was distracted studying for their next test. Invariably however, Sasuke would walk away no worse for wear while Naruto dragged himself after the Uchiha, shouting for him to come back and fight even though the boy couldn't stand on his own two feet.

Naruto almost managed to make Sasuke mess up his footwork with his own overly-large steps, however after a few moments of shuffling around the Uchiha looked exactly like what he was, a genius, while many present wondered if Naruto might want to take another year at the academy just to study taijutsu exclusively. Waving Sasuke away to the weapons range Iruka told Naruto to begin his individual portion of the exam. With exaggerated enthusiasm Naruto proceeded, causing the majority of the students to face-palm at his own incompetence. Half-way through Iruka had even had enough and the crowd got to watch Naruto chewed out for "Not trying seriously". The second half of the boys exam went much quicker and no better.

"Shut up!" he yelled when Iruka finally told him he was finished. "It's just none of you realize how _awsome_ I am! You'll regret it when I'm the Hokage!" sticking his tongue out the boy raced off to the weapons range before any could dispute his claim. Hinata joined the line and spent the rest of the wait watching Naruto fumble around with his kunai and shuriken, he was fairly accurate with those at least, and stretch out in a sunny spot on the grass once he was done.

Her own taijutsu exam went much how she had forseen. Her form was superb, rivaling even Sasuke's, and she even managed to make her partner, Choji, look slightly better then he actually was in the footwork portion. Bowing to Iruka the girl wandered over to the swinging tree to wait for the rest of the class to finish. Sneaking glances and the snoring boy sprawled out in a puddle of orange, yellow, green and tan. Far too soon Iruka and Mizuki finished up the taijutsu exam and proceeded to round the class back up. Leading them back into the classroom they began to filter them one by one out of the room to preform the final ninjutsu portion of the exam. Naruto woke up long enough to stumble back to his seat in class before passing out at his desk. Hinata simply watched him as the class slowly filtered out. When his turn came she silently wished him good luck. Wishing her voice would work around him.

After he left she felt a rather unladylike rumble in her belly that reminded her of her missed lunch, and also her promise to meet with Naruto again after class. They would meet for the first time as genin, actual ninjas. She would talk to him, it would be the start of a whole new life for her. One that included seeing him every day. Both of them growing up together both as ninja and as people. She couldn't wait.

When her turn finally came Hinata was on the edge of her seat with impatience to start her new life. Following a strangely subdued Iruka to the separate classroom where they would preform one of the academy's three jutsu Hinata found herself urging him to hurry. A new girl was waiting to be born inside that room and he didn't even realize it. Standing at the far end of the long, open room Hinata bowed as Iruka heavily took his seat behind a table laden with head-bands.

"You will now preform the _'Clone' _technique. Create as many clones as you are comfortable with. We will be grading you on the completeness of each clone, extra points may be awarded for quantity but _quality_ is required." Iruka quoted the paper before him from memory, obviously having gone through this repeatedly throughout the day.

Nodding Hinata started forming the seals, slowly and carefully. Luck had smiled on her today it seemed, Naruto wanted to meet with her, she had done extraordinarily well in the weapons exam, Sasuke still beat her, but she didn't think anyone else had. Her test score would be the highest she had ever received, she still felt a little guilty about that one, and now she had the opportunity to one-up Sakura. Drawing as much chakra from her meager reserves as she could Hinata felt it begin to take shape as she repeated the seals. Holding the last one she split the molded chakra into four... no she had enough to do five. Five separate bundles of prepared chakra. Taking a deep breath She released the stored energy while saying the techniques name.

"Clone technique!"

There was a puff of smoke and Hinata found herself surrounded by... herself. Four perfect clones stood around her while a faint, smoky outline of a fifth hung in the air behind her. Quickly she released the fifth, upset that she would try to reach so far beyond her abilities and hoping Iruka and Mizuki hadn't noticed it, or were willing to overlook the attempt.

"Excellent job Hinata!" Mizuki cheered, a grin that was abnormally large for the teacher on his face. "Thats the most we've seen from any girl all day!"

Any girl. She had beat Sakura. Hinata was in a daze, she couldn't even focus on what Iruka said. She simply stood there, staring at the wonderful future taking shape in the air before her. Her and Naruto, running through trees and fields. Practicing their taijutsu... well her showing him the forms and him finally realizing what he had been doing wrong for years. Meditating together under a waterfall, taking missions together, sleeping out under the stars on their first night away from the village. Naruto finally seeing her and gently taking her hand while placing the softest kisses she could image on the back of it. That last thought caused an eruption of red to spill out over her face and forced Iruka up and towards her as she swayed.

"Did you use to much Chakra?" he asked quietly. Pain she couldn't place hidden behind his teacher-mask as he inquired.

"N-no. N-n-no, j-just th-thinking." her stutter was completely out of control, but the thought of Naruto _kissing_ her hand was taking over too much of her brain for the girl to even attempt to control it.

"Well I'm happy for you." Iruka continued, holding a hand to her forehead and placing something hard and cold in her hands. "I'm very proud of you Hinata, and I'm very, very glad I was able to teach you. Tomorrow we're just going over the team assignments so you don't have to come until nine. Your Jonin Instructor will take over after that. Now head out there with your head up, your a ninja of Konoha now."

Looking down Hinata stared in wonder at the headband clasped in her hands. The stylized leaf in the center marking her allegiance for the world to see, as if her eyes weren't enough of a give away already. Trembling fingers raised the iron-woven cloth that it rested on to her forehead where Iruka's fingers had fallen from. Slowly she formed the knot behind her head with the tassels. Taking a deep breath she pulled it snug and waited to be reborn.

Maybe the changes wouldn't be obvious until she got outside. Bowing deeply Hinata hurried back to the classroom to retrieve her satchel before heading out the main doors. The sun was bright, she could even hear birds singing over the pleased murmur of parents who had already appeared to take their recently graduated children out for treats or rewards. Ignoring the voices Hinata looked towards the swinging tree. The promised place, where the first action of her new life would take place. The swing was slowly shaking back and forth as its occupant stared at the dirt.

Almost breaking into a run Hinata was almost knocked over from a wave of sadness and pain that pulsed from the tree where Naruto sat. Her feet involuntarily froze as she tried to discern the reason. No-one was near him, but Naruto was an orphan, no-one would be coming for him and he knew that before hand. Looking carefully Hinata started to inspect him for injuries, discoloration of the skin from bruising or internal bleeding, red stains or rips in his clothing that might give her an indication as to why he seemed in so much pain. There was nothing on his body, finally looking at his face Hinata's heart froze like her feet. Raw, unfiltered emotions were bubbling to the surface. Naruto was always bad at hiding them, but he never _didn't_ try to hide his pain. All the boys did that with varying degrees of success. But now, this was worse then staring at a horrible, festering wound. She felt phantom echo's of her own worst experience's in life start just from seeing him.

Frustrated with her own inability to move Hinata looked him over one more time. Desperate to find the source of this pain. His feet were normal, no swelling. His legs and arms hung normally enough. There was nothing wrong with his clothing, though he could possibly be hiding a hurt to his chest underneath the thick jacket. And again those eyes which were always alive and laughing were dead. Like someone had sucked the very essence of him away and left nothing but a husk. Looking around Hinata suddenly realized what he was missing. On every other child she saw, as well as most of the parents, even on her own head rested the dull silver metal plate stamped with a stylized leaf. Marking those the village claimed as their own, their best and brightest minds. Naruto's head was bare, desolate and alone.

The sun was suddenly hidden behind a cluster of clouds that mocked him with their white purity. The voices of the parents became clear as Hinata heard them complimenting their children, compliments Naruto would never receive, and the worst part of all. She heard them all express their happiness at his failure. Naruto was not a ninja, and in a village that viewed him with disgust and hatred that was all he could ever hope to be. Naruto was alone.

She wanted to run to him. To hold him, return the favor that he had so gallantly given her during lunch, not even four hours ago. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and tell him everything would be alright, that she would be there for him and he could lean on her in this terrible moment of failure. She wanted to do so much, but her feet wouldn't budge. Crying again Hinata watched as a single drop formed in Naruto's right eye. The glistening diamond that slowly drew a dark line down his face till it fell and disappeared into the dust. Like her dreams.

* * *

III.

* * *

Yes Naruto is kind-of relationship retarded. He doesn't have _any_ experience with girls, and only a few with guys (most of them many times his age). Add to that the fact that the village as a whole has done nothing but treat him with disgust for his entire life Naruto is almost incapable of recognizing when people _don't_ hate him and automatically assumes that they do (it's safer for him that way). I am a little worried I've made him a bit too... mature, but I think it works out alright.

Naruto professing his love for Sakura not seem right? Cause it's from Hinata's veiwpoint so she isn't focusing on it except to note that Naruto is once again trying to win the affection of someone else. I'll cover Naruto's feelings in one of his scenes... eventually. Chapter 12 actually will delve a little into this as it isn't really important until then.

Hinata is shy. Very shy. Insanely shy. I know I kinda took this trait a little further out then cannon, keep in mind she doesn't actually talk to Naruto in cannon till the prelims in the chunin exam. Even then she can barely say a few words. This is Hinata without those months of confidence building under Kurenai's guidance, thus she is even worse. She will open up once she is in a more positive environment and starts feeling comfortable with people (Also remember Naruto isn't quite a person to her, he's more of a living dream/hero so she gets even more tongue tied).

The story has been pretty angsty, this will be changing as time goes on. I feel like a story that shows you just how bad life was for the characters makes the little gains they get through the story mean so much more. Like Hinata finally managing to squeak out a word to Naruto. You've had two and a half chapters to see how that in and of itself is a major accomplishment for her instead something I immediately changed because I want Hinata to act like this or that. I think this makes the characters more human and shows character growth in a more logical pattern. Example: Instead of automatically not stuttering or having any problem yelling, 'I LOVE YOU NARUTO, GIVE ME BABIES', Hinata will _earn_ that confidence. She will have ups and downs that make sense (Has a bad day after saying something she didn't mean, or has a good day when she manages not to faint from Naruto smiling at her) and allow us to see her character change slowly instead of in 200 words.

Basically, this story probably won't get this dark again for a long time.

Whew... I typeded lots... Hope that made sense! If not let me know and I'll mess with it some more!

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	4. Chapter 4

Woot! At this point I think I've hooked you =)

August 2012 edit: Verbage, added a paragraph or so to Danzo's scene as well as it felt very tiny.

Talking/normal stuff

_Thinking/flashbacks/emphesis_

**Powerful entities/extra emphesis**

Still don't own Naruto T.T

* * *

IV.

* * *

Everyone hated him. His classmates, the villagers; the shop owners, the delivery men, even Iruka had to hate him. Why else would he be sitting here alone, tested and found lacking, not worth keeping. Not worth acknowledging. He was lower then dirt, something to be looked at with disgust as it stained clothing or marred a face. Something to be ignored when it wasn't directly in your line of sight.

"_Why was I born?"_ the cold words rippled back and forth, drawn painfully deep inside him, never fading from the front of his mind as Naruto stared at the dirt he must resemble to everyone.

"**Make them pay!"**

Where the voice came from Naruto never knew. It was something that he grew up with, something that had kept him sane when he was at his weakest. That first year and a half after he was abandoned by the orphanage and before Iruka had found and saved him. It was deep and inspired a sense of _awe_ that Naruto could never shake. It did not speak often, and never said much. But always it urged him to destroy, to maim, to punish or lash out at those who hurt him. Those who _chained_ him.

"**Devour them! Make them howl to the moon in their suffering! Tear the seal, give yourself to me. **_**I **_**will never desert you, **_**I**_** will be your strength. **_**I**_** will love you."**

Insidious rumbles, like the whispers of approaching storm clouds. The question drawn in his mind slowly morphing to leave the voices promise vividly at the front of his thoughts. A temptation like no other. If Naruto understood what the _seal _was he didn't think he would resist. The voice was like a blazing fire just out of sight while he lay frozen to the bone.

"_What is love? Who can love me?"_ his new question morphed the writing in his brain again as the heartbroken boy waited breathlessly for someone, anyone to respond.

There was nothing. No distant avalanche voices in his mind, and no-one in the corporeal realm would talk to him. Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to even hear a response from those who stood mere meters away and mocked his pain with their own happiness.

"_What did I __**do**__! Why do I deserve this!" _

More questions spun in his mind, ruthless freezing claws tearing at his fragile, crippled psyche. Resisting the urge to grab his head to try and shake the phantom pain Naruto couldn't stay still anymore. He wanted to explode, to destroy something; to cackle with laughter as houses burned around him, to run and run and run and run from this place of pain after it was torn to the ground. He wanted to curl into a ball and cry until the pain faded. He wanted...

Iruka to hold him. Just once more would be enough. Naruto wanted to feel that ultimate high, wanted to see someone looking _at_ him, not whatever they seemed to think he was. He wanted to not be alone, to know that someone would be there when he got home. Not the horrible empty apartment that reflected his equally empty life.

Feeling a tear jerk itself from his eye Naruto sat, dimly aware of the tickling sensation of the wind as it kissed the ever growing trail down his face till the drop of liquid fell away. The slight rebound on the remnant of his tear seemed to ripple throughout him. He wouldn't stay still, he had to move or he would drown in the sea of pain and hollowness. Pulling a leg over the board that made up the seat of the swing the boy rose to his feet. Empty eyes unseeing as he walked slowly around the vortex of happiness that had converged at the door of the academy.

Passing even further out then the edges of the crowd Naruto turned and made his way down the crowded street. Faces blurred and Naruto felt like he was walking through a stream of mannequins. Vaguely human shapes that moved like puppets, wooden and stiff.

He couldn't remember how far he walked, or where he had gone. When Naruto finally realized he recognized something he paused. The light post wasn't something that normally stood out, but this one he had marked a long time ago when he first started placing traps to help him in his endless game of tag with the citizens of Konoha. Looking around Naruto tried to get his brain to work again, to break it from the endlessly repeating thoughts and memory of Iruka's words.

"Naruto."

Like a lodestone the unexpected voice pulled Naruto's whole body around to face the speaker. Dark sandals gave way to dark pants, which in turn birthed a dark green flack jacket. Naruto found himself wishing the man before him to be someone he knew they weren't. He wanted them to be the only one who made the pain lessen, but couldn't deny the reality before him.

"Hello, Mr. Mizuki." Naruto's voice was as empty as he felt.

"What are you doing out here?" the silver haired chunin asked as he walked closer.

"I... Kinda live near here... Sort of." Naruto said haltingly, Mizuki wasn't normally inquisitive about the blond, but in the aching loneliness Naruto wasn't about to question his sudden change of heart.

"Lets take a walk then. That sound ok?" Mizuki continued, smiling.

"That... sounds good." Naruto replied, any company right now was better then the horrid, empty apartment.

Falling in behind his junior instructor Naruto simply followed the older ninja. He didn't press the man for talk, simply tried to let his company thaw the terrible cold that gripped him. They wandered for a long time, through streets and alleys, past the Hokage's tower; through the main market, into the park. And finally Mizuki gestured for the boy to join him as he climbed up onto an open-air balcony.

Trying to make fingers frozen by a non-existent cold work properly Naruto worked his way up to the chunin slowly. Reaching the platform he gently set himself down beside the older man and watched the sun as it slowly set before them.

"Iruka is a serious person." he finally said. "His parents were killed when he was young and he grew up kind of like you have. He had to do everything by himself."

"But..." Naruto asked quietly, while not really new information the question still didn't help keep him from being frozen to the core. "Why does he only pick on me?"

Mizuki didn't respond for a few moments, merely stared at nothing with a thoughtful expression over his features.

"He probably sees himself in you." the chunin finally replied, his calm baritone soothing the blond. "And he's probably thinking he wants to keep you safe, protect you because no-one else has. If he lets you pass you'll be put in dangerous situations fairly often, its not something many would wish on someone else."

"But... I still wish I had graduated. There isn't really anything else I can do is there Mizuki?" Naruto responded in a harsh whisper.

"I think I understand, Naruto. Should I tell you a secret then?" there was a glitter in Mizuki's eyes that anyone but a lonely, abandoned child would have instantly recognized as unhealthy. But Naruto could only see hope in that gaze as he felt his head begin to nod.

"There is... Another way to graduate." Naruto felt something start to warm inside him.

"R-really?" he whispered, daring to hope again.

"Yes! The Hokage keeps a special scroll in his private library. On this scroll are recorded techniques that only the best ninja can hope to learn. If you can sneak in and get that scroll, then learn and demonstrate one of the techniques the Hokage himself will give you your fore-head protector!" Mizuki whispered conspiratorially.

"Now, I think you might be able to learn a technique or two from a scroll. Do you think you could get the scroll?" Mizuki continued, glancing around and leaning close to the boy.

"I'm sure! I'll do anything to be a ninja!" Naruto said, the warmth thawing him and restoring his boundless flow of energy.

"Alright! Now once you get the scroll the Hokage is going to send his ANBU after you right away. So you should go hide in the forest before trying to read it. Also..." Mizuki turned and rummaged in his side-pouch. Finally pulling out a small brightly wrapped package. Humming happily the chunin turned back to Naruto and deposited the small bundle in his hands.

"Wear those while your on this mission. I'm sure they'll help!" Naruto stared blankly at the brightly colored paper and ribbons.

"How... How do I wear this?" he finally asked, uncertain of what to do with the bundle.

"You have to open it first silly. There's a present inside." Mizuki chuckled darkly at Naruto's uncomprehending face.

"Here, I'll help you." placing his larger hands on the paper Mizuki made a small tear. "Now pull the rest of it off." he coaxed.

Naruto hesitantly put a finger into the new hole in the paper and pulled it another half an inch apart before looking back at Mizuki questioningly. The older man nodded and motioned for him to continue. Suddenly excited the blond ripped the rest of the covering off and stared in awe as the contents were revealed. A pair of smooth, black disks stood out from their dark-green harness. Lifting the goggles delicately Naruto openly stared with a look of shock on his face.

"I can use these?" he squeaked, eyes bulging.

"You can keep them." Mizuki replied, laughing. "Consider it a late or early birthday present." Patting the boy on his shoulder the ninja stretched and hopped to the ground below them.

"Good luck with your mission Naruto. I'll see you soon!" waving the dull silver haired ninja began to walk away as the boy slid his newest present proudly onto his head. The dark glass shone for one brief second even after the last of the sunlight faded into night.

"Thank you Mizuki!" he shouted. Confidence restored and energy practically overflowing at his elusive teachers generosity.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

Hinata had stayed out late, and her father was furious with her. But the shy girl hadn't been able to leave him, not when he looked so unhappy. She had spent the hours she followed him alternately cursing her own insecurities and weakness, and praying that Naruto would come back to himself, either alone or with someones help. She had cried with joy when Mizuki had appeared and shattered the gloom that had formed an impenetrable barrier around the boy. She had followed them as they wandered, and finally seen a smile back on Naruto's face before her own unfavorable situation was rudely brought to the front of her mind by a clansman's hand on her shoulder.

They had practically dragged her back to the Hyuga complex. Seeing Naruto's smile though, especially after today, had still encompassed her mind, shielding her with blissful unawareness of her fathers controlled ranting. He would be alright, with a smile like that on Naruto's face Hinata knew he would recover. And even if she only saw him occasionally that would be enough. Hopefully she would grow strong enough to tell him how much she admired him soon, before he forgot her. If he hadn't already.

The sharp pain in her chest brought reality back in a rush as Neji's perfect strike blew past her absent-minded guard. Coughing Hinata collapsed to the floor of the dojo where her punishment was taking place. Weakly pushing her torso up from the ground was all she could manage.

"Get up Hinata." Hiashi's voice commanded nothing but complete obedience and Hinata felt her body try to respond.

Aches she hadn't even known were there suddenly blossomed to life all down her arms and along the tops of her thighs. Looking at the hard knots of pain Hinata realized Neji had closed several of her chakra points in their... Spar. While there was little outward physical representation of the damage cause by the Hyuga's _'Gentle fist'_ style taijutsu, the damage under the skin was always massive. Their attacks forced chakra past the protective skin, directly into the muscles or organs underneath. The foreign chakra was unhealthy, to say the least. Stronger clansmen could rupture organs by merely drifting a finger over their opponents. Muscles torn by the strikes often took longer to heal as the invasive energy that permeated the area had to be slowly flushed away before the body could begin its repairs.

The chakra points that all Hyuga's learned to aim for were often tied in with important joints, muscle groups and of course organs. By crippling these locations their opponents would become unable to properly move their chakra or body. This meant with a few strikes a Hyuga could leave an enemy completely incapacitate, regardless of the amount of chakra or techniques available to the victim. Blocking _'Gentle fist'_ strikes was impossible for almost anyone who was not a Hyuga, and even then only some of the strongest clansmen were able to preform the feat, as it required the blocker to overpower the attackers chakra with their own at the _precise_ point of impact. Hinata herself could only produce noticeable amounts of chakra in her palms, feet, and eyes. She suspected Neji was capable of spewing chakra from a few points in his arms, but had never actually caught him doing so.

In the end even Hiashi's voice couldn't get Hinata back on her feet. His disgust was obvious as he dismissed Neji and told Hinata to retire as soon as she was _able_. Trembling on the floor Hinata gracelessly attempted to bow as her father left. Once his oppressive aura had faded she collapsed sickly to the floor again. The pain that spread all over her burning hotter as it encompassed her senses. The smell of sweat and wood drifted up from under her, _her_ sweat, as she had not even managed to draw a drop of liquid from her cousin this evening. If her tears had not been exhausted earlier she might have cried, without them she could only hiccup slightly and quiver on the floor.

"Naruto." she whispered.

Naruto was happy again. She clung to that thought like a lifeline in the darkness. He was happy again, and if he was happy she could be too. He was her idol, more a dream then a reality. He was happy, and she would be able to see him again. She didn't know when, didn't know where. But Hinata was sure they would meet again. She would get stronger, she would grow, and when the fated day finally came she would stand in front of him and tell him how much he had done for her. Hinata knew her strength was tiny in comparison to most of her clan, most of her classmates, but she would change that. For him she would become something stronger then she was now. Something so different that only Naruto could create.

"I _c-can_ c-change." the battered girl quietly reinforced her thoughts with words.

Dragging heavy arms under herself once again Hinata forced the burning appendages to lift her. Pushing aching legs underneath herself the Hyuga heiress rose unsteadily to her feet. She couldn't stand still anymore, she would meet Naruto again, and if the day came soon she would still have to be ready. Hinata had to begin to crack her cocoon and spread her wings, cause the next time she saw him might be the last, and she couldn't afford to hide again. Stumbling to the door Hinata made her slow, shameful walk back to her room. A bath would have been wonderful, but she didn't trust herself to make it there and back.

"Tomorrow." she mumbled, stripping off her sweat-soaked training garments and dragging on an extra-long T-shirt. Lifting the covers on her twin-sized mattress the girl laid down and hoped sleep would claim her soon. The blessed darkness that would take away all the pain, followed by the brilliant gold that always haunted her dreams. Sighing Hinata felt her bruised body begin to relax as sleep sank its silent fingers into her.

A rapid pounding on her door dragged her away from the cloyingly sweet grasp. Wearily placing unwilling feet back onto the floor Hinata made her way to the barred opening and opened the portal. On the other side she saw Makoto standing with a raised arm to continue her barrage.

"Your father has requested your presence in the minor meeting chamber." the slender woman stated.

"One m-moment while I c-change, thank you Makoto." Hinata closed the door and quickly, painfully slipped into a pair of knee-length shorts and switched into a more appropriate shirt before stepping outside of her sanctuary.

"Lead t-the way." she said quietly to Makoto, gesturing for her to lead the way so her obviously weakened condition could be a slightly hidden.

It was almost unheard of for Hiashi to summon her, especially after dismissing Hinata earlier. Expecting the worst the newly minted genin followed her escort as they traveled quickly through the Hyuga estate. Hinata's eyes drifted only once, when they passed her mothers garden. The woman had been truly gifted with plants, the placements of the scattered colors was still beautiful enough to draw a smile on any visitors face, even after five years. Hinata and later her sister Hanabi had taken it upon themselves to maintain the lush garden. Replanting the flowers when they would occasionally wither, removing weeds; generally doing anything they could to keep this glorious reminder of their mother in its current state.

Hinata let her eyes run over the plants as they came into view, even now looking for any blemishes on one of her greatest treasures. Noting a few sickly looking daisies she decided to let Hanabi know before she left for class in the morning. Her sister's talent was beginning to show in the garden, yet another mark of failure for her older sister. Losing an almost imperceptible sigh as the last of the flowers faded from view Hinata turned back to the task at hand. Just in time as Makoto bowed next to the door to the smallest of the three meeting chambers the Hyuga maintained on their property. Returning the older woman's bow Hinata smoothly opened the door and stepped into the well-lit chamber.

It was a circular room, with a row of mats for kneeling upon following its curve. In the center of the room was a small depression, forcing those who came to talk to the Hyuga to look up to the elders they spoke with. Tonight there were only three individual's present, Hinata's father Hiashi, one of the elder council members Daiki, and a dog-masked ANBU. All apparently awaiting her arrival. Bowing deeply to her father, and again though shallower to the esteemed council member, Hinata walked to the center of the room and knelt next to the ANBU.

"I have arrived Father, es-steemed council m-member." she stated formally.

"Your presence here is only because of the ANBU, and by extension; the Hokage's request, Daughter." underneath the neutral tone Hinata could still feel her fathers wrath batter against her.

"I am at the Hokage's c-command." she stated, turning to face the silent ANBU. "H-how may I be of as-sistance?"

"A classmate of yours, one Uzumaki Naruto, has gone missing. The Hokage has expressed concern and we are merely trying to locate the individual in question. Hinata Hyuga, do you have any idea of the where abouts of the mentioned individual?" the ANBU interrogated.

"I-I have not s-seen Uzumaki N-naruto sin-nce he left the academy a-after the g-genin exam." Hinata stated quietly, if her father had not been present she would have been more forthcoming, but as the head of the Hyuga household was already furious enough with her Hinata wisely avoided mentioning she had been shadowing the boy. It was common knowledge that while Hiashi was not overly aggressive towards the boy, he did not look upon him favorably either; Hinata suspected his attitude would take a turn for the worse if he knew the boy was the reason Hinata had been late returning home this evening.

"Did Uzumaki Naruto seem distressed? Angry?" the ANBU continued, no emotions betrayed in his voice while the white and red mask covered his features. This close using the _'Byakugan'_ would be foolish as the Hokage's elite would easily see the side effects.

"N-naruto s-seemed... Depressed, perhaps s-slightly angry but he f-fa... f-fail..." she couldn't say it, almost still refusing to believe that the golden-haired boy had failed.

"So he did not display an unreasonable amount of rage or seem threatening?" the ANBU was staring at her intently.

"N-no, he also s-seemed to c-cheer up after Mizuki talked with h-him." Hinata stated, hoping the ANBU would not chase the question.

"And when did Mizuki speak with Naruto?" hopes dashed the Hyuga heiress hoped she would not be punished again tonight.

"After the last of the c-class was dismissed." she didn't _quite_ lie, but insinuated that it had occurred far more early then it had in reality.

"I see. Did you happen to overhear their discussion?"

"N-no, I only n-noticed t-them leaving s-school grounds. But N-naruto s-seemed much b-better." her stutter was getting worse under the close scrutiny of the three older men. Thinking for a moment she cut off the ANBU before his next question could be vocalized.

"I t-think M-mizuki gave h-him a p-pair of g-googles. I s-saw t-them on h-his h-head when t-they l-left. That's all I c-can remember." bowing Hinata prayed that would be enough.

"Thank you miss Hinata. That will be all I require from you." the ANBU stated, turning back to her father. "Thank you for allowing me the chance to speak with your daughter, Hiashi." bowing respectfully the ANBU rose and departed while Hinata quickly followed his example.

Rushing back to her room Hinata didn't even see the garden as she rushed past. Didn't comprehend anything until she had reached her room and dived inside. Locking the door the girl flung herself onto the bed again and shivered. Cold tendrils working themselves deep into her.

"_Where is Naruto?"_

She was hurt, and now felt a panic attack coming on. ANBU were _looking_ for Naruto, the ANBU _always_ had someone watching the blond. If they didn't know where the boy was he might have been captured, or ran away. Hinata's mind was quickly fermenting memories of large, alcohol-stenched hands that dragged her from her bed in the dead of night. The rough cloth that forced itself into her mouth, and the sweltering shroud that had been tied over her head. If she hadn't been frightened to death Hinata could have easily seen through the bag, even at the age of seven, but she had been absolutely beside herself. She remembered the swaying and sudden jarring sensations that followed as the man ran with her, the blast of anger her father had unleashed when he caught them, and the coppery stench and taste of blood as it dripped from his mouth onto the cloth covering her face.

Hinata hadn't slept properly for months after that, and now those fearful memories were coming back. Only this time it wasn't her in the bag. She stood off to the side as she watched Naruto attacked by a hulking, faceless ninja. Screamed as he was viciously clubbed over the head with a black-jack, scarlet streaks marring the signature gold of his hair. Staining it as the sneering ninja dragged the boy away through the dirt, leaving a line of red that slowly dwindled, even the color of his hair melted away as Naruto grew pale and lifeless. Just like the rest of the village.

"_Please, please be safe."_ she found herself praying, hoping that the ANBU, the Hokage, someone, anyone would find the boy and bring him back. Tears she didn't think she had anymore were falling again, running over her clasped hands and down her trembling arms. She felt weak and sick, her mind wrapped in a fog as she tried to shake the horrid thoughts away. Naruto would be ok, he had to be ok. They had to meet again, when she was stronger, when she could finally tell him. Holding onto that thought Hinata felt her panic subside, drawing harder on it she managed to lay her head down and halt the tears that were painful to shed. She was so empty inside, her stomach felt like it was full of needles and her heart weakly refused to let go of the single thread of hope she had left. One pale, terribly fragile light in the all-encompassing dark.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

Kakashi was furious. He swore to recommend Crow be dropped practically back to genin. The man couldn't even keep an eye on one academy _dropout!_ Since he had been relieved of the position of watching over Naruto Kakashi had seen how callous the rest of the ANBU watching him had been. Kakashi's increased duties had made it difficult for him to interact with the container when he was not on call. With no trustworthy guardian Naruto had grown up practically on his own, only the token ANBU guard keeping some of the more outspoken citizens from attempting something incredibly stupid.

But now, because of Crow's _incompetence_ the container had escaped, not only escaped, but stolen the secret 'Scroll of Forbidden Techniques'. The one object in the village that might allow the boy to unleash the demon that had been locked away inside his body, as one of the ANBU who had watched Naruto before Kakashi didn't think the boy would intentionally do such a thing; but the _possibility _was there and terrified him. The whole village was now in danger because one man couldn't keep his eyes on a _child_. Yes, Crow was going as far down in rank as Kakashi could possibly force him. Being one of the strongest of the Hokage's ANBU on top of an older member gave his words a more then fair amount of sway.

Leaving the Hyuga compound Kakashi adjusted his dog-mask and set out for Mizuki's apartment. They had started their search with the containers classmates, he had spoken with the Inuzaka boy and now the Hyuga heiress. The dog ninja hadn't known anything of use, but Hinata's clue might be enough for them to catch up to the boy before hell literally broke loose. Racing over the roof-tops Kakashi shuddered as he remembered the terror the demon fox, Kyuubi, had put them through twelve years ago. He had been on the front-lines, seen the terrible sacrifice it had taken to force the indestructible mass of pure chakra given lethal form back.

His mentor had died that night. Sacrificing himself through a sealing technique that stole his very soul to power it. And even that hadn't been enough. He had seen the man he admired more then anyone before sell his chance at reincarnation for the village, then he made yet another unimaginable sacrifice. He gave what little was left of his life to seal the still overpowering remnants of the weakened demon in a child. Tearing the demon from its previous container, his own wife, and dooming her to death with him. Once in a great while men or women were born who became heroes. Minato Namikaze was even greater then that, a legend.

Now because of one foolish _bastard,_ Kakashi was racing to stop his teachers greatest work from being undone. Pushing his limits to keep the village from going through that pain yet again in the span of hardly a decade. Practically knocking the door to the academy teachers apartment off its hinges Kakashi waited impatiently for the portal to open.

Ten seconds later he didn't hold back. The wooden panel blasted into the living room of a comfortable one-bedroom apartment. Stalking through the smoking outline Kakashi whipped experienced eyes over the contents of the chamber. Standard furniture, a newspaper left spread over the table, coffee pot with perhaps a cupful of cold liquid in the bottom, and the T.V left on but muted. Yanking open the second door Kakashi saw an empty bed, the third and final door hid a small full bathroom that was as barren of life as the last two rooms.

Keying his microphone Kakashi quickly relayed his information to a coordinator.

"Mizuki's apartment is empty, looks like he hasn't been back at all today. See if we can't track him down. He might have information on where the container is headed. He was also the last known person to see or interact with the container before this _incident_." a rushed acknowledgment followed and Kakashi waited for further orders.

"**A target has been spotted in the forest, I want teams Wolf, Eagle, and Boar to converge on training grounds 15 through 23! You are to detain and report any and all individual's encountered."** the Hokage's amplified voice almost knocked Kakashi over from a half-mile away, those closer were probably going to need their ears looked at.

Kakashi continued to wait, he was not attached to any of the mentioned teams and his own team, Dog, had not received any further instructions. Wolf, Eagle, and Boar were all excellent ninja, their teams were top rate, and they were likely already in the forest. Kakashi still wished he had something to do besides wait and hope the terror of twelve-years ago would remain locked away.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

Danzo Shimura was ecstatic. The disguised member of his own ROOT who had been recruited into the Hokage's ANBU knelt before him in their underground complex. The mans Crow mask had been removed and placed neatly before him in his submissive stance. Tugging slightly on the fresh bandages that covered most of his right arm Danzo felt pride at his plan entered its most crucial stage.

As a very influential member of the Konoha council Danzo wielded a very large amount of power in the village. He had also be thwarted for years by Sarutobi, the third Hokage, in his attempts to gain more power and recognition for his beloved Konoha. That would change tonight, dawn would break on a village with a new destiny then Sarutobi and his ridicules '_Will of Fire'_ could never compare too. He couldn't help himself as he laughed when his rival's amplified voice reached even his ears. The ROOT had waited, patient for years, all for this one chance.

"They have discovered Mizuki's involvement." Crow stated, as if Danzo hadn't figured they would from the start.

"I expected this. However they will still be too late. Mizuki will claim the 'Scroll of Forbidden Techniques' from Naruto and escape. We can recover it as soon as he leaves the village borders, two of my loyal tracking teams are already in position. Do not forget that what we are after tonight is the Kyubi!" Danzo sneered at the man before him.

"But Mizuki's dislike for the container will undoubtedly prompt him to attempt and destroy the demon child." Crow mentioned, still kneeling.

"Oh I'm sure he will try, and even succeed to a certain extent. But the man is hasty, the chance of him actually _killing_ the Kyubi's container are almost nil. I want you to take the rest of your team and recover the child once Mizuki has finished with him. The container is far overdue for reconditioning. He will become a tremendously powerful tool for our village." Danzo waved at the man.

"Now go, much is at stake here and I will be very _displeased_ to find if my efforts over the last twelve years fail to bear fruit." the man bowed deeper before replacing his mask and disappearing into the dark.

"Konoha will rise even higher, Sarutobi, I wish you could see that you are only holding us from our true potential." sighing the old councilman stood in the silent chamber, waiting for those loyal to him to carry out his will where he could not.

He loved his village, and having watched Sarutobi whittle away at that power through his tenure as Hokage was the single most infuriating thing in his life. Konoha was the _best_, but that was a title they had bleed and struggled for. That a man who would go to outrageous lengths to maintain a fragile peace would still dream that Konoha could be called the strongest village was utter foolishness. People forget, and Konoha's past deeds were already fading from the minds of the world; what they needed now was displays of strength, to hone their youth into true warriors instead of the children the academy produced.

Who better to spearhead that revolution of the training methods then the most dangerous individual in Konoha? With the loyal, fully trained jinchuriki Danzo would create joining Konoha's ranks the world would be reminded exactly why they were the _best_.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

Iruka had been searching for hours, Naruto was missing. He had exited the academy as soon as possible, even rushing the last several exams, trying to find the boy. He was sure that Naruto would need someone there for him and cursed that his job required him to be elsewhere when the boy was suffering yet again alone. Treading wearily up yet another empty street in the dark Iruka couldn't figure where the boy had disappeared to.

"**A target has been spotted in the forest, I want teams Wolf, Eagle, and Boar to converge on training grounds 15 through 23! You are to detain and report any and all individual's encountered." **the voice was so loud that Iruka went rolling through the dirt away from the Hokage's tower just a block away. No doubt the Hokage had exhausted a large chunk of chakra to amplify his voice to that extent.

Iruka had noticed several ANBU near the residences of his students in his search for Naruto, with Sarutobi's announcement the chunin suddenly felt that it was no longer a coincidence that Naruto had disappeared as well. Turning towards the mentioned training ground Iruka picked up his pace. If Naruto was involved he needed to be there for him. Hustling through the last of the residential district Iruka launched himself into the trees, leaping agilely from branch to branch as he rushed for a little-known location they had used once during an academy field-trip. If Naruto was hiding in the forest that would be the first place Iruka could think of that he might use.

Somehow Iruka managed to avoid the ANBU that were littering the forest, their slower pace as they searched letting the chunin pass and leave them far behind. Reaching the clearing Iruka felt his heart jump into his throat as he saw the signature orange coat laid out carelessly on a branch and heard the tired panting of his most rambunctious student. Launching himself into the clearing Iruka felt his _'Teacher mode'_ activate with full force.

"I... Found you... Hey!" Iruka panted, certain Naruto was playing a rather ill-thought out prank and growing irate as the boy didn't notice him immediately.

"OH! I found the nosebleeder!" Naruto playfully joked, reminding Iruka of his rather spectacular spray of blood after Naruto's unique _'Sexy'_ transformation. The boy grabbed his coat and zipped it on.

"IDIOT! I found you!" Iruka raged, '_Teacher mode'_ completely forgotten.

Naruto grinned even wider, hands going naturally behind his head. Scratching for a second the boy then pulled the large scroll that had been unrolled slightly on the ground before him back together and slung it behind his back.

"Fine fine, you found me Iruka. I only managed to learn one skill too. I bet the next one would have been even more awesome!" the boy said as he tied the scroll in place.

"Hey... Why are you all beat up?" Iruka asked, noticing for the first time all the scratches and dirt that adorned his student.

"Never mind that, I got a super technique to show you, its so awesome that you'll have to let me graduate... even if I can't do the schools clone one." the boy gushed, spreading his stance and making a tiger seal.

"_What were you possibly practicing that could cause this much damage to you?"_ Iruka thought as he looked the boy over again.

"Naruto. Where did you get that scroll?" the chunin asked quietly.

"Oh this? Mizuki told me about it! He also said if I can learn some of these techniques you'll let me graduate, the Hokage will even give me my headband himself!" the blond was bouncing, forgetting that he had just been about to show off his new skill. "Isn't that great Iruka! The whole village will have to start recognizing me then! I'll definitely do this and graduate." resuming his position Naruto stared at his fingers for a moment.

"_Mizuki? There isn't any other way to graduate? And why would he tell Naruto to steal a scroll? Unless..." _

"MOVE!" Iruka shouted as he sensed a flash of killing intent from across the clearing, practically throwing the boy away from where he stood.

More then a dozen kunai streaked through the air at Iruka as he took Naruto's place, the wickedly sharp instruments of death almost invisible in the darkness. Crossing his arms over his face and heart Iruka felt the metal split his skin in several places along his arms and legs.

"Nice job Iruka, you found him even quicker then the ANBU." Mizuki laughed from the treeline.

"So that's how it is." Iruka groaned as he tried to remove several of the metal knives that now decorated himself.

"Naruto! Give me the scroll!" Mizuki called soothingly.

"W-whats going on here?" the boy asked, terror clearly written over his face.

"Naruto! Whatever you do don't you dare give him that scroll. It contains techniques that only the leaf Hokage has the right to reveal. Mizuki is trying to steal it!" gritting his teeth Iruka jerked another set of Kunai from his flesh and winced as blood spurted to cover the dark-green grass with an even darker shadow in the twilight gloom.

"Naruto... Its dangerous for you to keep that scroll. I'll tell the truth about yourself. The reason everyone, including Iruka and me, hate you." Mizuki sighed dramatically.

"DON'T..." Iruka raged, swaying from blood loss and shock.

Naruto's face was torn, part looked hungry, desperate for the knowledge of why he was different, why people didn't like him. The other was scared, terrified of learning just what kind of monster he was.

"You know that twelve years ago the Kyubi destroyed a good portion of Konoha, as well as killed off almost a quarter of the active duty shinobi that were here." Mizuki started, Naruto nodded mutely and Iruka felt his legs give out.

"Well since then the Third Hokage, yes he hates you too you trash, made a rule. A rule that no one was allowed to tell you, or their children." the silver haired chunin continued.

"Why not?" Naruto almost whispered.

Chuckling Mizuki looked at Naruto with evil, half lidded eyes, "Because he didn't want you to know that you _are_ the fox. The demon that destroyed hundreds of thousands of ryo worth of property, and killed far more then a hundred people. _Including _Iruka's parents!" throwing his head back Mizuki laughed.

"You hear that! Your the one who killed his parents! It's no wonder he fucking hates you, Trash! Everyone has been lying to you from the day you were born! How does that feel you demon? Suffer knowing that all you've ever known was a lie, a farce; an illusion that we all got a laugh out of." pulling a giant shurkien from its resting place on his back Mizuki started to spin it around his hand.

"That scroll on your back is the very one they used to seal you, Brat. And I'll be taking it along with your life!" Mizuki's yells reached a peak as he let the whirling, razor sharp child-sized shurkien fly.

/-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"_So that's why." _Naruto thought as he saw the giant pinwheel leave Mizuki's fingers, hurtling through the air at him while he stood, rooted by the revelation before him.

"**MOVE!"** the ancient and powerful voice commanded, but Naruto wasn't disturbed.

"_So... your me?"_ he asked the voice, time slowing as he saw the blades rotate ever closer, the moonlight being sucked into the paint made the shrukien look like a shadow.

"**You must MOVE! I cannot die in such a pitiful manner!"** his inner demon roared.

"_But... wouldn't this be better? They all hate me... us, anyway. Why don't we just let it end?"_ Naruto had never been suicidal, but at the moment he couldn't help it. The thought that it was _his_ fault that so many people had died... No wonder everyone hated him. He did deserve their scorn, their hatred. He embodied that which took so much away from them, and Naruto couldn't fault them for their hatred anymore. Watching the end come Naruto resolved to do the best thing he could for the village now. He would die. The world suddenly went black.

There was a wet _schlurping_ sound and Naruto found he didn't feel pain. Blinking the boy realized he was sprawled out on the ground underneath a dark-green flack-jacket. Something wet was falling down on him. Raising a hand Naruto placed the strangely firm appendage on the vest and looked up. Iruka's face was full of pain, Naruto recognized that, and tears poured from his eyes. Naruto's hand slowly worked its way to the dark streaks that marred his teacher's cheeks. The dampness contrasting starkly against Iruka's otherwise dry skin.

"Why?" was all that he could think about, all that he could say.

Iruka was silent for a moment before he pushed Naruto to his feet.

"When... my parents died, I was alone. No one was there for me to talk to, no one would hold me, no one even complimented me anymore. If I wanted someones attention I had to do something stupid just so they would tell me to stop. That was better then not having them see me." trying to move Naruto noticed the large shadow standing out from his teachers back in horror, but Iruka didn't stop.

"It was painful... So painful I thought I was going to die sometimes. I don't hate you Naruto, your like a brother to me. I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother." weakly extending a hand the chunin smiled, despite his tears.

Naruto couldn't take it. Couldn't accept it, this was wrong, it was false. No one liked him, he had to become something they couldn't help but look at with awe if he wanted people to see him, that or he had to become the fool that they laughed at. Iruka had to be lying, Naruto felt his deep inner voice chuckle in amusement. Hardening himself Naruto scrabbled away from the liars, the false pretenses of kindness. He knew what they hid, always the knife that would stab his heart, leaving him alone and hurting every time. This time he wouldn't be fooled.

Racing away Naruto didn't look back, he ran from everything that hurt him. He would leave, disappear so that the village wouldn't have to deal with the pain of having him around. He would leave so that they could heal without him there, constantly re-opening the wounds from the past. Konoha would become happy and whole again, he wasn't demon enough to take that from them. A scream of pain echoing through the woods somehow stopped him in his tracks.

Looking back Naruto felt his own tears, when he started crying he didn't know, but something told him to go back. Back to the pain, back to the disgusted looks, the lies, the cold. He could bear it, because no one else could. Maybe he would never be the Hokage, he had failed his graduation. But Naruto could keep them together, bound by bonds of loss that tied the survivors together stronger even then friendship. He would never stop trying to become something different in their eyes, wouldn't let them decide what he was for him, but he wouldn't hide from them either.

Iruka was in trouble. False as the teacher might have been with him Naruto was the only one who could save him. Naruto wanted to believe in the lie, that what Iruka had said was true, that the first real hug Naruto had ever received had been real. Maybe he was naive, maybe he would only be hurt again. But he had swore to become a ninja to protect the village of Konoha, to gain recognition from its inhabitants and from himself. He couldn't turn his back on the man who almost made that possible, no matter what he had done to him. Resolve poured into Naruto's small body like molten steel; he would save Iruka.

Forcing his feet towards the renewed cries of pain Naruto hoped he would be in time. No, he had to be in time or he would never be able to erase those screams from his memory. Rushing through the underbrush he was struck with twigs, stumbled over roots, and narrowly avoided being bitten by a small tree-snake common to this training ground. Words started to make sense as he drew closer. Mizuki taunting Iruka as the chunin struggled.

"I won't let you after him." Iruka weakly shouted.

"Like you could stall me like this, just who has been using your leg as a target dummy for the last minute? Seriously, just give up. Naruto and I are the same." Mizuki replied in a bored manner.

"Naruto's nothing like you!" Iruka spat.

"No? You saw the look in his eyes when he ran, those aren't the eyes of a person. He has the 'Scroll of Forbidden Techniques' now, of course that demons going to use them, just like I was planning to." the younger chunin taunted. "He simply can't resist that kind of power."

"Yeah..." Iruka said tiredly.

Naruto froze again. He was right. Iruka had been lying, hiding the truth like everyone else. His resolve wavered like a candle caught in a strong breeze. Could he take this? Sure he would say he could, but the reality of it was so... painful.

"**See, you can never trust them. They are weak and deceitful. You can only believe in ME. I will never leave you all alone."**

"I'm sure the demon would. But not Naruto. He is one of my students, and I've watched him grow up. He's clumsy, not too bright, and really hard on your sense of smell, but I don't think I've ever meet anyone except the Hokage who cares more about the village then that boy." Naruto could see Iruka slump back against a tree in defeat even as he spoke. "Maybe he was the fox once, but from everything I've seen he definitely isn't anymore. He is an inhabitant of Konoha! He is... my brother, and I couldn't be more proud of him."

Naruto found that even after crying all day there was still tears left in him. Iruka, bleeding to death, had just called him his brother. Acknowledged him as a citizen of Konoha, and most of all. Said he was proud of him.

"**Such feelings are WORTHLESS! Ignore them, just crush and kill and maim! Howl our fury to the sky! Do not give in to their petty falsehoods!" **A sudden rush of power and madness followed the statement, a deep, pounding _need_ to spill blood. Naruto could feel his skin tingle, like he had just rubbed pepper all over himself. His chakra reserved, severally depleted from learning his newest technique were suddenly bursting at the seams, the power flowing within him threatening to rip him in half.

"_No."_ Naruto thought quietly. _"This is real, this is what I've been searching for, hoping for. Dreaming of. This is what I want more then anything in the world."_

"Whatever, you blind fool, I was going to play with you a bit more before killing the brat, but I don't feel like listening to you spout this kind of bullshit anymore." Mizuki said, rudely bringing Naruto back to the real realm.

"Try to die quietly for me ok? Even your screams are annoying now." Mizuki said as he pulled the second giant shurkien from his back and began to spin it around his hand.

Naruto felt his will return in full force. Mizuki was going to kill Iruka! Charging from the edge of the clearing Naruto leaped towards the sneering face of what was once his instructor, the man who gave him his first present. He didn't feel any regret, didn't contemplate how foolish it was for him, the boy who failed to even become a genin to challenge a chunin in combat. His bullheaded actions payed off though.

Bringing his knee up in mid air Naruto slammed into Mizuki's face with all the speed, force, and chakra he could muster in his small body. There was a satisfying _crunch_ as the mans nose crumpled into his face. The impact must have come as a surprise because the chunin hadn't even attempted to block. Skidding to a stop Naruto slammed the 'Scroll of Forbidden Techniques' down next to him. Glaring at the chunin who tumbled through the air before coming to rest with a _thud _at the base of a tree.

"You shouldn't have done that trash. If you had kept running I _might _not have caught you." Mizuki said, rising to his feet and staring daggers at the young boy while his left hand went to his disfigured nose. Naruto could see the dark blood wrap around the chunin's hand as a sickening _crack_ echoed around the clearing when the older ninja set his nose.

"**You touch Iruka and I **_**will KILL**_** you!"** Naruto delivered his ultimatum in a voice not quite his own, deeper and gravelly it brought a momentary flash of fear into the chunin's eyes. **"Your fighting ME now, **_**Trash**_**."**

"Naruto, why did you come back? Hurry, you have to get away!" Iruka moaned, his weak struggling resuming at the sight of his student in harms way.

"**Just wait right there Iruka, I'll deal with this in two seconds."** Naruto stated, forming a seal Iruka couldn't recognize.

"_**Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"**_ the boy howled, the sheer amount of chakra he was using made a purplish sheen around him.

There was a flash, followed by a gigantic cloud of smoke. As the vapors thinned Iruka felt his jaw drop. All over the clearing, in the trees surrounding the clearing, and as far as he could see there was a orange and yellow carpet.

"Are you ready, _Teacher?_**" **a Naruto in the center called as many of the rest broke into grins and flexed. "No? Well I guess I'll start then."

Mizuki could only stare in horror as waves of Naruto's began to pile onto him, the combined weight of their tiny bodies dragging him to the ground and making resistance useless. Hundreds of small fists and feet began to hit him, driving his body deeper and deeper into the dirt. His consciousness faded into oblivion after a few seconds when a particularly nasty hook broke his nose again while the rest of the clones continued to pummel him.

Five minutes after the retribution began the clones _poofed_ out of existence and only one blond shared the trampled clearing with his two teachers. Shaking his head the boy kicked Mizuki one more time before heading to Iruka's side. Iruka still had several Kunai sticking out from various places, and his right leg was a tattered bleeding mess that looked disturbingly like raw hamburger. Only his pressure on the femoral artery seemed to be keeping the blood loss to non-lethal levels. Naruto bit his lip and tried not to hurl at the sight.

"I'll... be ok... there are a... bunch of Jonin coming" Iruka said haltingly. "But... before they get here.. could you take this headband off?"

Naruto nodded, fighting to hold back the tears that had been falling all day. Shaking fingers gently pulled the knot loose and the dull metal plate came away from Iruka's sweaty forehead. Smiling despite the obvious pain Iruka sighed.

"That's yours now Naruto. I think you more then demonstrated your potential there. Congratulations!"

Naruto stood for a moment, staring hard between his teacher and the simple metal plate with a stylized leaf stamped on it. Finally raising a hand he pulled the goggles down to his neck and tied the headband in its place. Something started welling up in him, something he couldn't recognize, something sweeter then the feeling of escaping after a prank, something that changed Naruto's life forever. It wasn't something he could get alone, someone had to give it to him; for the first time in his life, Naruto experienced love.

"**Reveal in this illusion while you can. In the end you will rely on me, I am the only one who will ever truly love you foolish mortal."** Naruto almost wanted to yell back at the voice, but his act of defiance was swiftly pushed aside as the chakra that was keeping him upright and steady cut off like a faucet. Stumbling slightly Naruto pushed his worries aside as Iruka started to speak.

"Now... do you think... you could go find those... Jonin and maybe... send them over here a little... quicker?" Iruka said, growing frighteningly pale.

Quickly nodding Naruto wiped his leaking eyes and took off yelling at the top of his lungs for help. Iruka chuckled and couldn't help but imagine how hectic life was going to be once Naruto got a little older and stronger. Someone needed to keep a closer eye on the boy. A plan taking place in his mind the chunin leaned back some more and wished Naruto would hurry. It was getting awfully cold tonight.

* * *

IV.

* * *

Hinata was three when she was kidnapped. Got this wrong but roll with me please (not really important to the story and would mess with my flashbacks. So unless this is the breaking point for everyone I'd like it if we could maybe forget/ignore that and move on.)

Kakashi calling Naruto the 'Container': This is not a particularly derogatory term, Kakashi uses it because that is what Naruto is. A container for the Kyuubi, if you want that to mean he thinks Naruto is evil it can but it can just as easily be a term of affection. Naruto is the container that keeps the Kyuubi from harming people. Admittedly at this point I was originally gonna make Kakashi a dick... but after changing my mind (About Kakashi being a dick) and re-reading the chapter I found looking at it with the right mind-set made sense.

Mizuki giving the googles: There is something I added to the goggles that made sense for Mizuki to give them to him (He didn't tell Naruto where to hide out and train in this story. E-cookies for those who figure it out before I write it out)

As always, glad your still with me and eagerly waiting to hear from you!

**Simply_Waters~_**


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again!

July 2012 edit: Yeah that scene with rock lee that I dropped the ball on? Fixed it up a bit! Enjoy!

Talking/normal stuff

_Thinking/flashbacks/emphesis_

**Powerful entities/extra emphesis**

Still haven't gotten the rights to Naruto. So I own less then the pixels this story is shown on.

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V.

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Hiruzen Sarutobi was the third Hokage, arguably one of the strongest men in the world despite his advanced age. He was know throughout the world as the 'Professor' as he knew more techniques then a handful of most jonin teams combined. He had led Konohagakure for far longer then any Kage before him, and under his rule the village had prospered. They took more missions, fielded more ninja, had a higher percentage of civilians and merchants, and even their training programs were years ahead of most other villages. But right at this moment Sarutobi was frustrated.

He had tried, for years, to make one boy's life bearable. He had sponsored an entire orphanage to lighten the extra burden, not that one small boy should be considered a burden in a complex built to handle twenty to thirty children, placed on it and when the boy had still been removed he payed his stipend practically out of his own pocket. He had reminded the council almost daily of the sacrifice his successor and the child had made for the village. He had fought off hundreds of movements to indoctrinate a helpless child into a perfect weapon. He had bleed, sacrificed some of his political power and staggering amounts of his own money during the twelve year battle, even passing a law punishable by _death_ had not swayed the populace to halt their outrageous behavior.

Now all his tiny gains were being put in danger, the bitter fruit of twelve years of tending were being stolen from him. Danzo would stop at nothing to take his successors son from him. He had told no-one of the boy's heritage. The Iwagakure, Hidden Village of stone, would have sent assassins for the boy the moment those words passed his lips and Sarutobi was not foolish enough to believe he could stop them all. No, the heir of the villages greatest hero grew up alone and reviled for the sacrifice his father, mother, and he himself made, despite the fact that the boy had never had a choice in the matter.

If that wasn't enough Minato had to use a seal that even Jiraiya, Konoha's runner up in seal-crafting, couldn't puzzle out the mechanics to instead of the standard 'Tailed Beast' seal. With no Uzumaki left alive to describe the seals effects or conditions there had been mass panic as the villagers demanded the child be put to death or locked away so that if the seal failed they would be _safe_. Not that Danzo and his demands that the child be turned into a weapon were any better. The fools, couldn't they see? The boy was practically his fathers clone physically, his personality was eerily reminiscent of his mothers. If they would only open their eyes they would be bowing to the ground he walked on.

Tonight would be the beginning of the end. Sarutobi was certain once the rumor started circulating that Naruto had snuck into the _Hokage's_ house and stolen the one scroll in the village that had even the slightest chance of releasing the demon entrapped in him that the village would take Danzo's side, if only to break any original thought the boy might have for the rest of his life. They would feel _safer_ if he was a mindless puppet, not that they wouldn't still prefer him _dead_. Sighing and damning the blind fools Sarutobi pushed more tobacco into his pipe and tried to come up with a solution that didn't involve Naruto being brainwashed or stoned to death. Firmly pushing the sneaking whispers of his own worries about the boy finally giving in to the demons nature away. A knock on his door disturbed the aging leader.

"Come in." he stated, not bothering to change his contemplative posture.

The door swung open and his Eagle-masked ANBU captain strode in. Obviously male from the larger biceps and lack of prominent chest features in the tight combat gear. Moving in with cat-like grace the man walked forward till he was half-way to the Hokage's desk, dropping into a low bow just as the door clicked shut behind him.

"Eagle, I presume your mission was a success?" Sarutobi intoned, never doubting his ANBU would return without completing their mission.

"Yes, Hokage. The container has been located and two chunin have been apprehended. Naruto was located in the forest within training ground twenty-two and had the 'Scroll of Forbidden Techniques' in his possession. He resisted capture on the grounds that there was a ninja in need of immediate medical attention approximately one kilometer away." Eagle rose from his bow and presented the mentioned scroll to the Hokage before continuing his report.

"Following up on his claims after apprehending the target we discovered Iruka and Mizuki, both teachers at the academy and of the container specifically. There were signs of a large-scale struggle, perhaps one-hundred and fifty or more ninja of approximately the targets size, we were able to discern signs of a prior struggle underneath that." shaking his head in confusion Sarutobi motioned for the man to continue.

"Mizuki was unconscious, heavily bruised, and had numerous fractures to his ribs, arms, legs, and practically any other bone you care to think of. Iruka was barely conscious and was bleeding heavily from multiple stab wounds, most likely caused by kunai, the majority were on his legs and one particularly bad cut next to his spine. He thanked us and mentioned Naruto was not to fault for his injuries before he slipped completely into shock. We applied emergency field medication to both and have placed them in a secured hospital room. Naruto showed no injuries worth noting and is currently confined in the interrogation cell, he has continued to show concerns for Iruka since his apprehension." Eagle concluded his report and slipped into an attentive stance.

"When do the doctors estimate Iruka or Mizuki will wake?" the Hokage questioned, mulling over the new information while running a hand lightly over the heavy scroll that now decorated his desk.

"Mizuki should regain consciousness within the hour, three at worst. Iruka should be capable of talking in the morning, he will be confined to bed-rest until he has had more time to heal however." Eagle replied quickly.

"Very well. Have Dog take Naruto home, he is to keep an eye on the child but not obstruct him from going about his daily business for the time being." nodding Eagle bowed again and disappeared.

"_All this could have been avoided if Kakashi had been watching the boy to begin with. What possessed me to change the roster?"_ Sarutobi mentally berated himself, absently rubbing his raw throat. Using the _'Voice Projection'_ technique was never this hard on him before, though he had gone perhaps a bit overboard this time.

"Iruka. Hmmm..." mumbling to himself the Hokage quickly dug out a sealed scroll from the recesses of his desk.

Unraveling the scroll the old ninja released the seal and allowed the book that he kept notes on Naruto's progress return from where it was confined in his private library. Flipping through years worth of his own scrawling handwriting he looked patiently for where he had seen the man's name before.

"There!" he exclaimed. "First year in the academy Naruto is transferred to Umino Iruka's class, transfer requested by Iruka and approved by myself and the academy director." flipping further through the book Sarutobi picked out a few more entries.

"Should have remembered Iruka was the closest thing Naruto has to a friend right now." the old man snarled at his own failing memory. "Naruto is concerned for Iruka, Iruka is cut to ribbons and says it isn't Naruto's fault, and Mizuki is beat half-way to death. All three of them somewhere they have no business being with a scroll they shouldn't know about." sighing the Hokage rose to his feet, white and red robes _swishing_ quietly as he grabbed his square hat of similar coloring.

"_Clone" _he intoned quietly, leaving a copy of himself appearing to smoke while deep in thought.

Slipping out his window the Hokage felt the ghost of a smile cross his lips as the first thing he saw was the Hokage Mountain. More specifically he recalled the _make-over _one hyper-active young blond had given to the stony faces of the village leaders. Fighting to hold back a most certainly undignified laugh, Hiashi Hyuga would explode at such _frivolous _behavior from the village leader, the Hokage pulled a small portion of his every decreasing chakra reserves and used the volatile energy to propel himself quickly in the direction of the hospital.

"_I would look rather dashing with some red tattoo's. Though that may just be my young pupils rubbing off on me."_ Sarutobi was reminded of one of his own students who also seemed to have a preference for red markings.

Approaching the hospital the Hokage dropped from the rooftops to walk along the beaten dirt like a normal person, his hips had never truly recovered from his last disastrous mission and sprinting along rooftops was a method of travel for younger men. Slipping inside the still brightly lit entry hall/waiting room Sarutobi walked evenly up to the night clerk situated behind the counter.

"H-hokage!" the young girl stuttered in surprise, quickly flipping long chestnut hair behind her shoulders and sitting up straighter. Wisely she didn't question his presence in the hospital despite visiting hours having ended a long time ago, one of the benefits of being the most influential men in the village.

"Relax, Suzume." the old man chuckled. "What room is Umino Iruka being treated in?"

"Umino?" muttering the name to herself Suzume, daughter of one of the villages more prominent doctors and a volunteer on her own time when not studying to follow her fathers foot-steps, quickly dug through a short organized stack of paperwork.

"Ah, Umino Iruka, admitted this evening. Massive blood-loss and multiple stab wounds but the operation was a success and he is currently being kept for observation in room three-fifteen. Shall I call a nurse to escort you, Hokage?" the girl recited the information perfectly without hesitation after locating the slip of paper.

"No thank you dear, I'm quite familiar with the building layout." smiling that smile that only old folk seem able to pull off Sarutobi shuffled his way to the stairs.

Konoha's hospital was not cutting edge, but it was highly efficient. With patients coming in almost daily with anything from cuts and bruising from training to giant, gaping wounds or broken bones from missions or failed assassination attempts the staff were all extremely proficient and professional. Ninja could be injured at any time of the day or night and their was always a full staff at the hospital to see that no-one ever received anything less then the best care their facility could provide. Civilian cases were handled on a slightly lower priority, but they were hardly ever as seriously injured and still received a similar standard of care.

The building was massive, easily one of the three largest man-made structures ever built inside the village. The Hokage tower was only slightly larger and the Uchiha's former police headquarters/jail was roughly the same size before it was torched after Itachi Uchiha committed genocide and killed the entire clan except for his younger brother Sasuke. With the collapse of the clan practically overnight their lands and fortune had been taken from the only heir and Sarutobi had found himself with a second village ward to care for. The boy's prowess as a ninja was incredible, only paling in comparison to his older brother and perhaps one Neji Hyuga, and he had slowly begun recovering the lost property and funds as many of the vultures began to sponsor him in hopes of receiving _favors_ after the Uchiha clan was firmly re-established.

Shaking the future worries back away for the moment Sarutobi found himself standing before a particular door. Old, gnarled hands gently traced the simple numbers that stood proudly to the right of the door-frame. Room two-fifty-two. This room had seen his happiest day and his worst. Here he had met his grandson, Konohamaru, for the first time. Held the tiny, ever so fragile babe in his aging hands and cried in joy.

Here was also the room he had woken in the day after the Kyuubi's attack, the day they told him his successor to the Hokage title had passed away, along with his fiery wife. That day had been full of sorrow and tears of a different sort as the burden fell to him again, power that weighed heavily on ancient bones that had only just grown accustomed to the lack of it. Letting his hand fall the Hokage's mask slipped for a moment, letting the hardy mask fall and reveal the worn, ever so weary old man who had carried a burden heavier and longer then most could fathom.

The rattle of a cart being pushed quietly along the hall by a nurse shook the man from his memories and slapped the mask back in place, hiding the pain under the grandfatherly smile. Reorienting himself the Hokage made his way to his actual goal of room three-fifteen and slipped noiselessly into the sterile, blank room. The room was just like any of the others in the hospital, a small window set in the far wall, a few chairs set against the wall, the patients bed was always placed near the window. Years ago Sarutobi had been told that was because ninja almost always felt safer with an exit close at hand.

Drifting like a shadow to the bedside Sarutobi wondered on how the years could fly by. It was only yesterday he had been comforting this boy as he woke to the horror of his parents absence. Now he was suddenly a man, the only person Sarutobi knew of who showed care and compassion for the ward he could not watch himself. If that had been a ruse Iruka would never leave this room alive.

Looking over the quietly beeping machinery the Hokage summarized Iruka was stable. Reaching his age spotted hand over the younger mans eyes Sarutobi quickly dragged what little medical techniques he remembered to the front of his mind. Selecting his tool the old man channeled a small sphere of chakra to the palm of his hand, molding and shaping it in his minds eye. Releasing the energy there was a small shock-wave, like a pebble had been dropped into a pond. Pulling forward a chair that had been against the wall Sarutobi relaxed into it to wait.

Three-quarters of an hour later Iruka jolted upright, eyes wide and with a fearful, panicked look on his face. Whipping his head around the scarred chunin took stock of his surroundings. Noting the Hokage's presence he tensed again, eyes flickering for a moment to the window.

"I have some things to discuss with you, Umino Iruka. You will answer me with complete honesty and with-hold _nothing_. Are we clear?" Sarutobi stated, keeping his eyes bitterly cold.

"Of course, Hokage." Iruka replied, nervously swallowing.

"You were discovered in a restricted training ground without clearance and severely wounded. The only person who knew your whereabouts was in possession of an stolen S-class village secret. Would you care to elaborate on this... _unique_ situation for me?" Sarutobi continued, voice calm but deadly.

"Right. Well I'll have to start with the end of the genin exam, Hokage." Iruka gulped, obviously nervous. "If you have read my report you would know that Uzumaki Naruto has failed his genin exam. His written, weapon, and taijutsu exams were all passable but he failed to demonstrate an acceptable _'Clone'_ technique."

"I understand you have requested he be re-evaluated again with the next class as well." Sarutobi replied, recalling the report.

"Indeed, the boy was showing remarkable growth in one-on-one training that I had taken upon myself to preform." Iruka shook his head and got back to reporting. "However, I could not pass him this morning. I completed the remainder of the exams as quickly as possible before I could attempt to locate Naruto. The boy, as you already know, has no parents and no real friends to go to at a time like this. Normally I would hope to see him come to me, but as I was behind the reasons for the obvious distress his failure caused for him I knew I would have to go find him." when Iruka wobbled a bit the Hokage gently pushed him back against the pillows before motioning him to continue.

"I wasn't able to spot him after exiting the academy and proceeded to search his usual hangouts, even going to check in with several of his classmates families. No-one had seen the boy and I continued to search until your announcement this evening. Assuming that Naruto had ended up falling back to a prank to help alleviate some of his distress I entered the restricted zone to search for him. We had a class in training ground twenty-two a year or so back and I went there hoping to find him." coughing lightly Iruka focused on breathing for a moment before lifting his head.

"I arrived to see Naruto with the scroll in hand, apparently having spent several hours training with it. He was tired but happier then I expected and proceeded to explain that Mizuki had mentioned learning a technique from the scroll as an alternate method for graduation. Upon hearing that we were assaulted by Mizuki. Mizuki broke your law concerning Naruto's... condition, and I managed to protect Naruto from several volley's of kunai till he took a chance to escape with the scroll." Iruka was still hurting over Naruto's attempt to flee, and it showed in his trembling voice.

"After Naruto fled Mizuki continued his attack on me, stating that he could find and kill Naruto at a later time. Before he could finish me though Naruto returned. Hokage, I have to ask, have you ever preformed a technique called the _'Shadow Clone' _or _'Multiple Shadow Clone' _technique? And if possible could you explain it's difference from the standard _'Clone'_ technique?." pulling his pipe sub-consciously the Hokage debated the merits of explaining the forbidden technique.

"The _'Shadow clone'_ is a forbidden technique, and if you didn't already know the name I would not divulge this information." he started. "It is remarkably easy to preform the technique itself, and it is at absolute best an A or B rank technique. The reason it is forbidden is because the clones created all contain a significant portion of the creators chakra, the chakra is split _evenly_ between creator and their clones. There is a minimum amount of chakra that all living things need to maintain to avoid death, in my current state creating more then four or five clones using this technique would put my life in danger. "

"The advantages are that the clones created with this method are much sturdier, able to interact with the world as easily as their creator. Because they do not produce chakra themselves the clones will only last until their chakra runs out, but if they are destroyed they will return what is left to the owner, they also return a portion of their memories based on the amount of chakra they had remaining. A very useful technique for infiltration provided the ninja using the technique has the chakra reserves to handle it." leaning back Sarutobi caught himself before he tried to light the pipe.

"I see." Iruka's right hand was rubbing along the scar across his nose. "Well then I'm glad I decided to pass the boy based on his performance this evening." the man smiled at the Hokage's confusion.

"That headband is his. Naruto preformed the _'Multiple Shadow Clone'_ technique, he even created what must have been upwards of a hundred clones before they proceeded to pummel Mizuki into the state your ANBU found him." Iruka was practically _glowing_ with pride as he began to recount the brief exchange for the stunned Hokage.

"_One... __**Hundred!**__"_ was all the man could think about. In his prime Sarutobi _might_ have been able to achieve such a feat, if he wanted to spend the rest of the week in the intensive care unit for chakra deprivation. That Naruto had done so, proceeded to _fight_ with the clones, and afterward still had the stamina to make it to the ANBU squad over a kilometer away was... impressive to say the least.

"Simply amazing." Sarutobi muttered, noticing Iruka looking at him quizzically. "That is a feat I wouldn't expect many jonin to even attempt, much less succeed in. You were correct in your decision to pass Naruto, a ninja with that kind of chakra reserves is something we simply cannot pass over."

"Hokage... there is... one other matter I would like to discuss with you." the man squirmed slightly, promoting Sarutobi to raise an eyebrow.

"Go on." he said.

"I... would... W-well... what is the possibility that I could... adopt Naruto?" Iruka finally fumbled out, staring at his hands where they lay in his lap.

"_God has truly smiled on us this day."_ Sarutobi felt something finally relax in himself. Someone had finally seen it, looked past the veil that the demon had drawn over the tiny child left in his care and actually seen the boy himself. Looking towards the sky through the window as the first tiny glimmers of light began to brighten the darkness Sarutobi felt tears threatening to fall from his tired eyes.

"Naruto is a village ward." he said after a moment. "That means he is placed in my hands and _I_ am responsible for his well-being and upraising. It would be impossible for me to let you adopt the boy." Iruka seemed to compress before the Hokage, obviously wanting to lash out but managing to keep it inside.

"However, I do believe the boy has lived for far to long alone. So if you would be willing to become a guardian I would be more then happy to place him in your care." the Hokage continued, smiling as Iruka's head practically shot up with a look of surprise and awe.

"R-really?" he stuttered, lifting a hand to try and clear his already clean ears.

"Yes, I have been waiting... hoping someone like you would come along. Someone who can look and see the boy, not the monster he protects us from every day. If it were an option I would be more then glad to let you adopt the boy completely, but the council would attack any suggestion of it with full force and I don't have the standing to overpower them all anymore." placing a hand on the chunin's shoulder the Hokage rose.

"You should be released fairly soon, I will return to finish the report on how you have been debriefed concerning your C-class mission to finish Naruto's genin exam and draft the guardian paperwork. When you are ready stop by and finalize it with me. Till then I bid you good morning." pipe between his teeth the Hokage slipped from the room as quietly as he came, the quiet 'thank you' from Iruka music to his ears.

On the way back to his office the Hokage went over the new changes he had to implement. First he would have to seed some rumors that Naruto's genin exam was taken to an extra level to ensure that he was completely loyal to the village and that he had preformed well beyond expectations. He would also have to write Iruka's name on the guardianship paperwork he had had ready since Naruto left the orphanage, finally able to give the boy a real home. He would also have to review the team assignments again and fit Naruto into a team, scratch that he knew what team the boy would be on and he already heard the dog's complaints. Added to his normal workload anyone else would have felt crushed by the mass of paperwork, today though, Sarutobi launched himself into the work with passion that hadn't been so obvious in years.

"_Your son finally has a home. I only wish it could have happened sooner, he deserves more then what I have been able to give him. Forgive me for failing you in this Minato, but also be glad your son's feelings have finally reached someone."_ the Hokage couldn't keep the smile from his face.

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"NO!" the harsh shout could be heard outside the Hokage's office despite the sound dampening seals in place.

"I don't recall asking your opinion." came the sarcastic reply.

"And I thought I made it clear if I'm to properly train the Uchiha I would required more time to spend on him personally!" the first voice continued.

"Kakashi Hatake." the Hokage stated, rubbing his temples. "_Every_ other jonin instructor takes _three_, that is one, two, _three_, genin when they create a team. This principal has existed since before our time and is tested and proven to be the best possible training environment while still being mission deployable. I will _not_ here you refuse me again. Consider this an extension of your protection mission."

The tall, lanky jonin with silver hair snarled behind his mask. Glaring with his one visible eye he picked up the small stack of papers containing all the information from the academy on his new students. Flipping through he saw pretty much what he expected. Sasuke was outstanding, ninty-five percent or higher on almost any test given to him, Naruto was scrapping by with mid seventies when he passed at all. The third student caught his eye though. Slipping two score-sheets out he compared them.

"Did you ever check to see if there were any Nara's in the Hyuga family tree?" Kakashi mentioned, glancing over the two sheets.

"Of course not, though if there were I suspect that information was... censored by the Hyuga." the Hokage stated. "Why are you still here?" he asked turning to face the jonin only to find his office empty.

Rising to his feet the Hokage shuffled to the window and placed his hands on the railing before speaking "Give them a chance, Kakashi. You won't regret it." glancing to the side where the jonin crouched, still pouring over the information in his hands.

"I'll give them the usual test. If they fail I will only train the Uchiha. We both know I'm the only one who can with those eyes." Kakashi finally sighed.

"No, if they fail your back on guard duty." the Hokage said ruthlessly. "I refuse to give Sasuke special treatment in his training, you should as well, regardless of how valuable his eyes and clan may be."

"Fine! I understand." Kakashi relented, rising to his feet. "Now I better go learn a little bit about these new students of mine." the jonin was still assigned to watch over Naruto until he officially became their Sensei that afternoon.

Folding the assorted test-scores, notes, and observations from the academy instructors and slipping the bundle into a pouch Kakashi leaped lazily away, somehow still covering incredible distances with his seemingly effortless strides. Deciding to check in on Naruto first, he was the closest, Kakashi landed on a familiar balcony and slipped in through the half-open window.

Snorting slightly at the littered apartment Kakashi quickly took stock of the contents while ignoring the smell. The furniture was cheap, simple yet durable, and the appliances were only a few years old. The boy's single set of spare ninja tools hadn't changed since last year, quite a few of the kunai and shurkien were showing their age through rust or chipped paint. The only real food was ramen, and there was plenty off it. Bags and cups and cases of the substance, there was an open carton of expired milk on the table and a few dirty dishes in the sink. Nothing had really changed much since he had last checked in on the boy.

Deciding he needed to get the boy out of his outrageous orange outfit Kakashi hopped back out the window and headed for Sasuke's apartment next. He probably shouldn't check the third students room, but being a jonin he felt a small thrill at the idea of infiltrating the Hyuga complex, the only place in the world where hiding behind a wall didn't necessarily mean you weren't seen. Reaching the more reputable section of the residential sector Kakashi took stock of Sasuke's building.

It was like night and day, Naruto and Sasuke's apartments. Naruto's building was tiny and dingy, Sasuke's loomed over the street and practically oozed high class. The road was clean, for dirt, and there were no drunks stumbling around or graffiti decorating the sides of the houses. Estimating the placement of the apartments inside the complex Kakashi stepped up to the window he decided must belong to the Uchiha. Quickly discovering it was open Kakashi started to slip inside before halting himself. Drifting a hand inside he groped around cautiously for a moment before a thin wire met his fingertips. Smiling Kakashi followed the wire and realized the trap set for anyone unwary and foolish enough to sneak into a ninja's apartment.

Dismantling the trap Kakashi slid head-first through the gap and snarled when he saw a second, cleverly disguised wire-trap waiting for him. Landing lightly on his fingertips Kakashi managed to avoid hitting the wire while balancing his body with only the tips of his fingers on the floor. Slowly shifting onto one hand the jonin placed the other beyond the trap and quickly shifted away from the dangerous spot. Finally letting his feet drift to the floor Kakashi's head rose up to study the room in more detail.

The difference between Naruto's and Sasuke's apartments continued from the outside into the interior. Sasuke's paint was obviously fresh, the furniture a very tasteful black and practically brand new. The appliances were fairly new and the room was easily twice the size of Naruto's, or even his own living room. The only similarity was that Sasuke's apartment was also of a three-room design with a living room/kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. The boy had at least five sets of tools carefully stored and a small storage scroll that most likely contained his clan's training scrolls, the one thing no-one had been able to steal from him. His clothing was of a suitable dark color scheme and Kakashi decided he had seen enough of the gloomy place. New it might be, but the air was oppressive, like someone sat here and contemplated murder every night.

Easing around the wire trap Kakashi re-set the first trap on his way out the window, lightly shutting it behind him before continuing his stroll on the roof-tops towards the Hyuga compound. Here would be a challenge! Kakashi could feel his body start to wake up, preparing to utilize all of his considerable prowess to challenge the security of the largest clan in Konoha.

Just as the compound came in sight Kakashi suddenly caught sight of a clock and immediately turned around. He was already an hour late to pick up the team from the academy. While never punctual Kakashi still had to admit it would be overkill if he left them till he had finished infiltrating the Hyuga compound. Maybe crawling around in a girls room wouldn't be a brilliant idea either.

"_Now... what kind of excuse do I make? Lady trapped under a tree? Rabid dogs chasing a kitten? Hmmmm..."_

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Hinata's head felt fuzzy, and her back hurt from falling asleep while sprawled half-on, half-off her bed. She didn't want to wake up, the mind-numbing pain from yesterday was still lingering at the edges of her thoughts. Rising to her feet was made more difficult as one of them was still asleep, the pinpricks of sensation returning with the warmth that the blood brought back to the appendage. Stretching out her stiff, bruised muscles Hinata checked her clock and felt a slight spark of pleasure to see that she had time to get breakfast on her way to school even if she had missed the families gathering. Not that they would miss her, but some of the elders might decide to bring the lack of her presence up with her father.

Slipping out of the sweat-soaked clothing she had fallen asleep in Hinata quickly showered and fixed her short, dark-blue hair before slipping into another set of her usual training clothing. A pair of short pants only a few shades darker then her hair, followed by a black tank-top underneath a large tan coat with white fur along the bottom. She slipped the band of her tool-case around her right thigh and grabbed her headband from where it sat on her side-table. Delicately wrapping the iron-cloth around her neck she let the headband sit loosely below her chin. Placing a tiny hand on the door knob the girl took a deep breath and prepared to face the pale day.

Heading for the main entrance into the Hyuga compound Hinata managed to reach the large entry-way without distraction, perhaps due to the late hour for her to awaken. Greeting the guards politely the shy girl set her feet towards the academy and almost walked straight into the most oddly dressed individual she had ever seen.

Spandex was something invented to keep certain body parts from jostling around too much, Hinata hadn't begun to bother with it as she was only recently starting to develop anything that might require extra support. Someone had apparently never told that to the boy standing before the gates doing squats as he was dressed from neck to toe in what could only be described as _green_ spandex. He also wore a pair of orange leg warmers and had a multitude of bandages wrapped around both hands, a Konoha headband played the part of a belt over the boys slim waist. His black hair was cut in a horrid bowl and his eyebrows were almost thicker then Hinata's fingers.

"Good morning!" the boy practically yelled, instantly placing hands on his hips and striking a pose, Hinata could barely stifle a giggle. "I hope your day will be _most_ youthful! Have seen Hyuga Neji by chance?"

"Good m-morning. N-no, I just w-woke up ummm..." not quite sure who the spandex-loving boy looking for her cousin was Hinata tried to come up with a proper... title for the extravagant and loud individual.

"It is quite _unyouthful_ of my rival to not show up for our morning training! I shall do four-hundred one armed push-ups with each hand if he does not appear soon!" the boy was running in a circle now.

Deciding he needed her help Hinata turned to the door guard.

"Ummm, c-could you tell Neji t-that... P-pardon me sir, w-what was your n-name?" she broke off halfway through, directing the question to the boy who was already in position to start his push-ups.

"AH! My sensei will be so ashamed of me. One moment!" the boy jumped to his feet and took off running, quite fast, around a nearby corner.

Hinata simply stared after him in shock. Turning to the door guard she was about to apologize for bothering him when she heard rapid foot-steps approaching.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" the eccentric was back, flying off the closest rooftop and striking yet another pose in mid-air, holding it until the last possible second before he hit the ground. Glancing at the building again Hinata was surprised to see that the jump had covered almost ten meters. Her attention was quickly dragged back to the boy as he resumed his hands-on-hips pose and began to shout.

"I am Rock Lee! One of the _'Green beasts of Konoha'_ and eternal rival of Neji Hyuga! I am also very pleased to make your acquaintance... ummmm..." his booming voice trailed off as he looked at her bashfully.

"I'm..." Hinata started to speak a moment later only to be cut off.

"AHH! Why am I so _unyouthful_ this morning! Guy-sensei! I will run one-hundred laps around Konoha on my hands to reignite the flames of my youth! Dear sweet princess whose name I shall never know, please inform my _youthful_ rival Neji that our sensei requests that we meet him at training ground sixty-four for our regular _youthful_ training." bowing deeply Lee immediately flipped onto his hands and began running down the street, tears streaming down his face as he roared on about his wasted _youth_.

Hinata stared after him while the blood from a vivid blush slowly receded from her face back to the rest of her body where it belonged. Then looked back at the guards, managing to stammer out something along the lines of asking them to pass along Lee's message before the Hyuga heiress started walking towards the academy. She was so deep in thought she totally forgot to grab anything for breakfast on her way to class, narrowly avoided walking _into_ the main doors of the academy, and had stumbled over Shino as she took her normal seat.

She hadn't been called a princess since her mother died. Princesses had worth and Hinata had no illusions that her father or clan thought she was worth more then the air she breathed. Rock Lee, while eccentric and severely lacking in the fashion department, had instantly given her life an inherent value. Maybe if she could get him to do something about those caterpillars he called eyebrows...

Five minutes after sitting down Hinata realized the rest of the class was shouting and arguing over something. Even the ever-stoic Shino seemed more on edge then usual. Focusing in she only heard one word before she dived back into her own mind in horrified shock.

"- Naruto-"

She wasn't on a team with Naruto. Naruto hadn't graduated. These cold, uncaring facts battered against her and Hinata had to try desperately to not start crying again. She would see Naruto again, she had to, and she would focus on becoming strong enough to talk to him so that when they did meet she wouldn't just watch helplessly from the side-lines again. Clamping down on the depression that threatened to swamp her Hinata looked up to see if their teacher had arrived yet.

Hinata realized she really needed to make sure she started getting enough sleep. She was dreaming in class, that was the only explanation for what was seated two rows ahead of her, facing Kiba and laughing about something. Blue eyes that had been so stormy and clouded yesterday were now brilliant as the sky. Blond hair stood in its usual disarray of tufts and spikes. His eye-burning bright orange jumpsuit was intact and even looked fresh. The only difference was the pair of green and black goggles that now adorned his throat, similar to how she wore her headband, and a duplicate of the headband that everyone else received yesterday wrapped tightly around his right bicep.

"_Definately dreaming."_ Hinata thought, her usual blush rising to her cheeks. _"There is no way he can be here."_

Placing a hand on her fore-head Hinata frowned at her even temperature. Glancing at the clock she saw they still had a good half-hour before the teams would be assigned. Laying her head down Hinata tried to nap, but couldn't resist the urge to watch the phantom haunting their classroom. Maybe she just hadn't woken up yet, that would explain Naruto being here, and her meeting with Rock Lee.

"_Though I don't think I've ever had a dream where someone had to introduce them-self."_ she admitted, fingertips pressing lightly together as she ogled the phantom blond.

"Good morning genin." Korchi called as he entered the class.

Hinata frowned slightly, Korchi had never been to their class since a particular strain of the flu had grounded both the classes normal teachers at home simultaneously. That Iruka and Mizuki were both absent after being perfectly healthy yesterday, and she was certain they both wouldn't be absent the day their students finally were taken from their custody. Her dream kept getting more and more weird but Hinata decided to listen to the dark haired instructor anyway.

"Now if you will all quiet down I'll read off the team assignments." the class instantly quieted and focused all their attention on the muscular chunin.

"Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino. You three shall be placed in team 10 under the jonin Sarutobi Asuma. He is the Hokage's son and will have much to teach you I'm certain, do your clan and families proud." the three mentioned students grumbled, one platinum blond more then the others, but didn't seem surprised. When your parents are one of the more famous teams in Konoha it made sense that they would pair the children together as well.

"Next we have Aburame Shino, Harano Sakura, and Inuzaka Kiba. You three will make up team 8 and your jonin instructor will be Yuhi Kurenai. She is the most accomplished genjutsu master in Konoha and an incredibly capable ninja, listen carefully to her and you will all grow powerful indeed." Sakura had collapsed into tears as Korchi had finished listing their names, Shino and Kiba merely looked the other over and nodded. Hinata thought she saw Shino glance towards her, but his face maintained its usual expression.

Glaring at the pinkette Korchi lifted the list one more time. Hinata's mind froze completely after doing a rapid reassessment of the remaining students. Uchiha Sasuke, cold, calculating, and perfect in every form of training or test they had done since their first year. Herself, the shy girl who hardly spoke and had done barely better then average the majority of their years. And... Uzumaki Naruto... the loudest and lowest scoring ninja, and her crush since they were five. They were the only three left in the room.

"_This can't be happening! I'm dreaming! Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" _the tiny girl practically screamed at herself, not daring to hope to be on her crushes team even in her dreams anymore. The fictional sweetness would only make it that much harder and colder in reality and Hinata didn't know if she could handle staying awake if Naruto was waiting for her every time she closed her eyes.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuga Hinata, and... Uzumaki Naruto." Hinata's brain turned off completely and she suddenly found the scribbles on her desk fascinating. Something about a "Hatake Kakashi" and "chronic lateness" made it through the roaring of the blood rushing to her face before Korchi laid down the list and excused himself.

Hinata leaned back and found herself hoping she didn't wake up anymore. Watching the class as they shifted around slightly, Ino and Sakura throwing themselves onto Sasuke and complaining about the heartless instructors while throwing dirty glares at her. Kiba moving over by Shino and trying to engage the reclusive classmate in a discussion next to her. Shikamaru and Choji simply stayed where they were and continued their activities, sleeping and snacking respectively. Naruto was glaring at Sasuke for a moment before hoping to his feet and walking up to her row. Then to the seat next to her.

"Hey Hinata! I guess we're on a team." he said with a smile that showed off his perfect teeth, with the exception of the slightly longer canines.

Hinata's head hit the desk with a _smack_ that was heard throughout the whole classroom, even over the drooling fan-girls moaning.

"Wonderful." Sasuke groaned as he took in the situation. "Way to make two thirds of our team inoperable before we even meet our sensei."

"What! I just said hi you prick." the blond retaliated, bristling.

"To Hinata! Use that rock between your ears for a minute you idiot." Sasuke replied.

"Huh?" Naruto managed, looking entirely perplexed.

"You can't be serious." Sasuke said, flabbergasted. It was common knowledge since their second year that Hinata had been crushing hard for the over-reactive blond.

"_Hopefully Kakashi can keep them from slowing me down too much."_ he finally sighed.

"I'm always serious!" came the heated reply as Sasuke began seriously debating copying his female teammate's actions.

* * *

V.

* * *

Hinata's stutter: Remember that one authors note about character development? Good =). It will disappear (partially at least) eventually, I already got plans on how to do it that I haven't seen tried in fanfics yet. As irritating as it is to read it's part of her character that _defined_ her, regardless of how much I would love to not have to deal with I think it would be a cheap cop-out to not show what a MAJOR accomplishment learning how not to stutter is for her.

Can't think of anything else so thanks! (Quick! find something cause this A/N is like... tiny compared to the rest!)

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	6. Chapter 6

YAY! New stuff incoming!

Talking/normal stuff

_Thinking/flashbacks/emphesis_

**Powerful entities/extra emphesis**

****I... do not own Naruto... however sweet that would be.

* * *

VI.

* * *

"Naruto. You know a pathetic prank like that will never work on a Jonin."

Sasuke's cold voice helped bring the rest of Hinata's world into focus. Lifting her aching head the shy girl tried to figure out why she was in the academy classroom. Her rather vivid dream of the exuberant Rock Lee and being placed on a team with Naruto and Sasuke was still at the front of her thoughts. Glancing about the girl found herself alone with the two boys that made up the rest of her dream's team.

Sasuke was seated, as always, with his fingers entwined under his nose. Naruto was fumbling around with a blackboard eraser near the door. Looking around for the rest of their classmates or teachers Hinata decided that this might _not_ all be a dream. Her pounding head was an excellent argument for this being her new reality. A reality filled with Naruto.

Catching herself right before her forehead met the desk-top again Hinata tried to control the red wave that blossomed over her features every time she thought about the blonde. The object of her affections was currently precariously perched on the edge of a desk while fumbling around near the top of the classrooms sliding-door.

"Pfffft." Naruto scoffed at Sasuke, still straining to reach the top of the door with his meager height. "Our new Sensei will never see _this_ coming!"

"Maybe because its a first year academy student prank?" Sasuke retorted venomously from his seat.

"Exactly! So they'll _never_ think we'd do something like this!" Naruto almost shouted as he slid the door almost closed and lowered his hand, exposing the blackboard eraser now wedged between the frame. Hopping down and dusting his hands off Naruto leaned back to admire his handy-work.

Thinking that dropping an eraser on their new teachers head, not that she thought the teacher would fall for it either, was perhaps not the _best_ way to make their first impression Hinata tried to make her fumbling tongue communicate that. However she only managed a few whispered, "Umm's" and "Ahh's".

"You saying something?" Sasuke said sharply as he turned to face her.

Hinata squeaked as two sets of eyes suddenly locked onto her and abruptly forgot how to form words. Shaking her head from side to side she looked down at her feet and noticed her index-fingers forming a small bridge that swayed back and forth. Grunting Sasuke returned to his usual, brooding posture. Hinata felt Naruto's eyes linger on her for another moment before the scorching gaze was removed and he began to prattle on about the merits of his trap.

Five minutes passed before Naruto finally ran out of compliments about his 'devious prank', the blonde proceeded to flop down on a table-top and stare at the ceiling. Thirty seconds later he began to tap his feet in a random pattern, the clicks and thumps finally dragging Hinata's gaze up from the floor.

"_He's right there!"_ Hinata practically cheered in her mind. "_He looks bored, quick what can we talk about?"_ wracking her brain the Hyuga heir tried to think of a subject she could approach her crush and new team-mate with.

"_Hyuga etiquette probably isn't worth mentioning, and the weather is the same as it has been for the last week. The test is probably still too sensitive a subject for Naruto. He probably isn't into gardening either...Think Hinata! THINK!"_ falling further and further away from the goal as her mind took a depressing, self-berating turn Hinata almost slammed her still throbbing head on the table in frustration.

Finally giving up Hinata simply lowered her head and snuck glances beneath her bangs at the short blonde as he began to use his fingers and hands to and a new chorus of muted thumps and taps to the erratic rhythm his feet continued to produce. Watching his fingers dance across the table-top Hinata let the sounds form a soothing melody that washed some of her anxiety away. The trio continued to sit, tap, and watch until Naruto finally roared to his feet.

"WHERE IS HE!" practically bouncing with irritation and boredom the blue-eyed boy began pacing and periodically leaping onto tables. Hinata let her eyes follow him as he prowled around the familiar classroom, stopping here or there to shuffle papers or un-tack posters in a slow tornado of casual, mindless destruction.

"Oi! Idiot, stop messing with the room." Sasuke stated after Naruto managed to slip of a tabletop and tear a few papers from the wall in his effort to stall his sudden decent.

"Shove it, I don't take orders from you, Prick." Naruto responded with far more hostility then Hinata thought was required.

"Seeing as I'm the highest ranked, in the class, for every category, and your barely passing maybe you should start." the black-haired boy taunted.

"You wanna fight?" the blonde said, seizing the opportunity to _do_ anything as he stalked up to the Uchiha. Hinata flinched slightly as she thought of how well Naruto's fights usually went, resolving to break up the two boys she almost managed to stand up before Sasuke retorted.

"Well I didn't want to break Hinata so early... Oh! You meant fight you?" shaking his head Sasuke gave a self-righteous chuckle. "I don't think I'd classify it as a fight... More like a _slaughter_._" _

"That's _**it**_! I've had it with your attitude, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, leaping across the table towards his classmate as Hinata froze, half-way out of her chair and trying to find the words to stop the scuffle.

A loud scrapping noise, followed swiftly by a '_plop'_ drew all three genin's attention to the doorway. Filling the frame despite his slender figure was a half-masked white-haired man in a flack-vest, dark clothing, and with his headband pulled down over one eye. Sitting proudly on the top of his messy locks was a black eraser and a small cloud of chalk-dust was drifting slowly over him on its way to the ground.

"HAH!" Naruto shouted after a moment, all thoughts of fighting gone from his mind as he grabbed the distracted Sasuke and danced in a small circle. "Told you that would work!"

Hinata saw Sasuke mouth the words "_Is this really a Jonin?_" and found herself thinking them as well as the cloud hung heavily around the lean man.

"Interesting... I don't like you." the man said after a moment of watching Sasuke untangle himself from the exuberant blonde. "Any of you."

"What! How can you say that already?" Naruto retaliated, crossing his arms and staring pointedly at the Jonin. "Whatever, I don't like you either... Ummm... Ummm.."

"Ha-Hatake K-kakashi." Hinata managed to mumble, staring at a Konoha legend in the flesh.

"Yeah! I don't like you either Hat-dude." Naruto repeated, sticking his tongue out at one of Konoha's top Jonin.

"Shut it before he kills you, or better yet, don't and save us all the head-ache." Sasuke whispered harshly while cuffing Naruto on the back of his head, Hinata was quite surprised when she felt a sudden urge to inflict lots of pain on the dark-haired boy.

"I don't like this room either." Kakashi stated with a bored tone. "Meet me on the roof." and with that he hopped to the window and disappeared outside, the black-board eraser still firmly entrenched on-top his head.

"I know the way!" yelled the blonde as he started for the door.

"B-but, isn't t-the..." Hinata started.

"Off limits? Like we care." the boy cut her off as he raced for the door. "I need to punch that guy, he was like... TWO HOURS, oh god I didn't get my ramen!" Naruto slammed head first into the half-open door as the realization of the time and interruption of his usual schedule hit him like a brick. Squeaking again Hinata started towards the staggering boy but Sasuke got there first and grabbed a hold of the back of his collar.

"Your damn ramen can wait, Idiot, right now we need to get on the roof." shaking his captive a few times Sasuke released the boy and looked over his shoulder at her. "I know the way up as well, its down this hall." and with that the dark boy slipped out into the hall, closely followed by a ranting blonde.

"_Are you ready for this?_" Hinata asked herself, staring at the door her new teammate, Uzumaki Naruto, had just vacated. She felt an anxiety attack coming on as the reality hit home that she really was teamed up with her crush.

"_Am I ready?"_ she asked again. Hinata had planned to change herself, become someone who could walk up to her crush and tell him exactly how she felt. She was a long way from that, but was she ready to take the first step? To walk through the first door on the long, long road towards her dreams? Her hesitation disappeared as a familiar whiskered face appeared and Naruto gave her a mega-watt smile.

"Lets move it Hinata! You don't wanna miss the first lesson do you?" as the bright hair disappeared Hinata felt like someone had lifted shackles she hadn't even known were there. Her feet were practically dancing on air as she hurried through the door to catch up with the boys.

All too soon they were trotting up the stairs and shoving aside the final door. Once outside the trio spread out into the slightly dimming sunlight. Glancing about Sasuke was the first to spot their brooding instructor, the eraser still sitting atop his head. Snorting the boy walked over to where Kakashi perched at the edge of the roof and took a seat on a convenient low bench. Naruto and Hinata were quick to follow his example.

"Well I suppose we should get to know each other a little." Kakashi said as they got comfortable. "What are some of your likes and dislikes? Maybe even your aspirations for the future?"

"We already know each other." Naruto responded, pointing at his fellow genin. "How about _you_ tell us a little about you, weirdo." Hinata dipped her head in a brief nod while Sasuke simply sat unmoving yet watching the jonin with hawk-like eyes.

"Hmmm... Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake, and I really don't feel like telling you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future? Hmmm. I also have a lot of hobbies. There, now how about you tell me a little about yourself Blondie?" pointing directly at the only individual in the circle with the mentioned hair color to make it absolutely clear who he was talking about.

"You only told us your name!" Naruto shouted indignantly, grumbling as Kakashi motioned for him to continue. "Fine, I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, especially cup ramen or old man Ichiraku's ramen. I prefer free ramen to any of them though!"

"Is ramen all he thinks about?" Kakashi mentioned as Naruto's tirade of ramen loving continued despite his comment. Sasuke nodded slightly while Hinata flushed and looked quickly towards the ground.

"_I do wish he would think about something besides ramen from time to time._" the girl admitted to herself. "_Maybe even think about someone._" instantly flushing at her bold statement, regardless of the fact that it was in her own head Hinata almost missed the tail end of Naruto's minute long speech.

"What I dislike is waiting for the ramen to cook, or _missing_ my ramen schedule because of people being _late_" Naruto finished with a hiss, pointedly looking at the dark-clad figure leaning on the railing. Unfazed Kakashi simply met his gaze and motioned for him to go on.

"And what I want more then anything is to surpass the Hokage himself, and make the whole village finally notice how great I am! Believe it!" the blonde finished with a cheer.

"Naruto... if I _ever_, _ever_ hear the words 'believe it' leave your mouth as a whole sentence again I will force Iruka to teach me his special jutsu and leave you mute for the rest of your life." Kakashi threatened, the sudden deadly spike in his aura large enough that even Sasuke shrank back slightly. Satisfied he had nipped the beginnings of a horrible habit in the bud Kakashi turned his gaze to Sasuke and nodded, signaling the moody teen to begin.

"Uchiha Sasuke." the boy said in a bored tone. "I have quite a few things I dislike so I won't bother listing all of them for you, I don't like much of anything and I don't wanna talk about what I do like. Finally I don't have a dream as much as a two-part ambition. The restoration of my clan, and to kill a certain man." lowering his head back to his clasped hands Sasuke glanced over at Hinata.

Caught by the sudden cold that followed Sasuke's statement and pinned under three separate gazes Hinata panicked and instantly turned red. Looking at the ground between her feet the pale-eyed genin tried to think of something to say, or even work a word around the self-imposed gag that always tripped her up once she hit the spotlight, a sudden growl from her stomach reminded her yet again that she had missed breakfast.

Latching onto the first semi-coherent thought she could Hinata blurted out "Sometimes I wish Naruto would think about something besides ramen!" as soon as the words left her mouth Hinata wished she had died before opening the traitorous orifice.

Slapping both hands over the offending opening she went deathly pale and refused to raise her head to see Naruto's undoubtedly furious expression. A few seconds later, when the roof refused her silent prayers to swallow her, Hinata heard Naruto clear his throat.

"I think about other things sometimes... like... like... Ummm."

There wasn't any anger in the boys voice, and that gave Hinata enough courage to take a lightning-fast peek at her surroundings. Kakashi stood as he had since they started this disastrous fiasco, leaning lightly against the railing, the damn eraser still perched precariously in a nest of his hair. Sasuke was obviously holding back laughter as she saw his lips twitch. Finally, the blond himself seemed to be staring at the ground in a manner not entirely unlike herself and with a slight flush to his cheeks.

The extra color in his sun-tanned cheeks caught Hinata's eyes and she forgot to drop her gaze as she admired the rarely seen expression. All to quickly he shifted his eyes up to meet hers for a moment, in his blue eyes Hinata saw a multitude of feelings spiraling around each other. Uncertainty, fear, a touch of indignation, the briefest whisper of anger, all mixed together in a vat of... shame?

"I... think about lots of things." Naruto finally said after dropping his eyes from Hinata's, his voice suddenly sad while he stared blankly into the roof.

"Well I think we'll cut this Q and A session short." Kakashi announced, pushing himself lithely to his feet. "Tomorrow I want to take you all out for some training."

"What kind?" Sasuke said, eyes still locked onto the elder ninja.

"Survival training." the silver-haired jonin replied. "It's gonna be extremely tough so I wouldn't eat breakfast if I were you. Meet me at the bridge outside training area 63 tomorrow morning, say 7:30." with that the man made a hasty exit and left the three genin sitting on pins in the tense atmosphere.

"I suppose I'll be leaving then as well." Sasuke said as he rose to his feet. "Try not to be late or slow me down tomorrow." spinning around the Uchiha slouched his way to the edge of the roof and hopped lightly over the railing, leaving Hinata alone in a horribly awkward silence with her crush.

Afraid to speak lest her mouth dig her deeper in the already neck-deep hole she was in Hinata focused on her index-fingers as the rapidly slid back and forth in her apprehension. The sun was noticeably lower before Naruto stood silently and headed for the roof's door. Hinata stiffened as he began to move and watched helplessly as he put a hand on the knob, an impenetrable aura surrounding him.

"Maybe your right." he said, quietly but definitely intending that she hear. "I'll think about it tonight." pulling the door open the gold-haired boy disappeared into the darkening stairwell as Hinata watched from her frozen seat.

"_This is so horrible!_" she raged against herself as the door swung shut. "_Why did I have to say __**that**_ _of all things?"_ curling up Hinata hugged her knees and began to rock slightly back and forth.

"_I hope he forgives me... I hope I haven't pushed him away."_ her thoughts jumbled and swirled as the girl tried to give herself a pep-talk. Her natural inclination to depression quickly shattered the attempt and she felt the tears start to form.

"Well you got your wish." a voice stated quietly behind her. Squeaking Hinata spun her reddening eyes around to see her new jonin instructor seated a few feet away.

"M-my wish?" she asked, confusion apparent on her usually schooled features.

"As I recall, he mentioned he would be thinking about what you said tonight. That most definitely isn't ramen if you ask me." the man replied.

Sitting for a moment Hinata let the realization dawn on her before timidly replying. "Mayb-be I sh-should have saved that wish f-for something better."

"Maybe, but if you hadn't said it then maybe Naruto might never think of anything besides noodles for the rest of his life. Would that be better?" the jonin returned.

Thinking the whole situation over slowly Hinata had to admit the thought of Naruto never noticing anything but his beloved primary food-source would be painful, but she still felt horrible for saying it in such a blunt, Naruto-ish manner.

"B-but what if he h-hates me now?" she said quietly, almost scared to hear the mans opinion.

"Then he is what he acts like, an idiot. We all need someone else to point out our faults or we'd never get any better at anything. And even if he dislikes you right this moment you will be training together so you'll have plenty of opportunities to make him reconsider. No?" Hinata could practically feel the smile behind the mans mask.

Shaking her head Hinata rolled the idea around in her head. It... made sense, it would be almost like two countries signing a treaty after a war and Hinata was certain insulting Naruto about ramen was as close to an act of war she could get. Both would be hurt and distrustful to start, but if she constantly worked to improve it they might, just might, be able to become friends. It still hurt to know that she had finished her first day on a team with Naruto by insulting him, but she could change that, make sure it never happened again.

"Feeling a little better now Missy?" the quiet shinobi inquired after a few moments.

"Y-yes." Hinata replied.

"Good, then at least tell me your name, it would look bad if I had to call you _girl_ or _hey you_ instead of by your name." Blushing Hinata stammered out her name and bowed deeply to the jonin_._

"Thank y-you Kakashi-sensei."

"Don't forget, skip breakfast or your gonna be puking all over." the man stated before stepping back off the roof.

* * *

"Its too easy to read female ninja at that age_._" Kakashi grumbled to himself as he lounged on a random rooftop watching the sun finish drooping under the horizon. "Glitter this, fuzzy that, and boys, boys, boys." the Hyuga heiress's silent and currently un-noticed affections were painfully obvious to the older man.

"She'll have to realize soon that being a ninja doesn't leave you time to play around with love, at least, as long as you want to stay alive. Sasuke is just like I hoped he wouldn't be." the man continued his personal review of his tentative team. "He won't let go of the past and has completely isolated himself from his peers and the village. He _needs_ to see that the future can become just as good or better then the past if he is willing to try and live."

Snorting Kakashi rose to his feet thinking about his final student. He had watched Naruto for years, seen the boy grow on an almost daily basis until a mere three years ago. But he was still shocked by how much, yet little the boy had grown since then.

"Naruto... Is just himself, blunt and to the point, and quite possibly what both the others need to break out of their own shells." sighing Kakashi walked to the rail and stared as the last few rays of blood-red light shot out before the sun disappeared completely, drowning Konoha between dusky-darkness and soft lights as the street corners and shops lit their lanterns.

"Now I guess all they have to do is pass my test and it will finally be my turn to teach, how scary is that Sensei?" grinning under his mask at the memories of his own golden-haired teacher Kakashi decided to head over to the training ground he had requested for his potential students final exam before becoming true genin. Having a few extra surprises in place never hurt.

* * *

Fog covered the mirror, it was irritating. A small hand swiped across the smooth surface, exposing the reflective material and the owners face. Expressive blue eyes were currently clouded and muddy, making the boy think someone might wrongly assume he had been crying. He didn't cry anymore, promised he wouldn't cry at any of the hurtful things that people told him once he discovered it only made them more blood-thirsty. Hyuga Hinata had struck him through the only tiny kink left in his armor. She also practically used a ballista to send the point home.

Snarling at his features Naruto slammed a hand down on either side of the sink and stared deep into his own muddled eyes, willing his rarely seen fighting glow to manifest and force his discovery into his dense head.

"They think your playing." he said cruelly to himself, ignoring how much it hurt to belittle all his herculean efforts to simply stay in school and graduate over the years.

"They don't think you have what it takes." another nail pounded home, the laughs and sneers he faced everyday took on yet another new meaning to the small blonde.

"They think your dumb." it was growing, he could see his eyes shifting, hardening and beginning to faintly shine.

"**Then you know what you have to do."** unbidden the voice rumbled inside his head, ancient powers locked away inside his person questioning him.

"Yes. I know what to do." he said quietly, staring at the mirror as the eyes that could hardly be called his continued to change, darkening to purple as he watched. As his eyes muddied he could feel it, limitless power and chaos just past the edge of his sight, just _barely_ out of reach. All he had to do was reach out just one more _inch_.

"**Yeeeeessssss."** sinister, sadistic pleasure mixed with anticipation as the beast within him stirred more awake, warm phantom fingers expanding from his navel throughout his body.

"Change their minds. I'll be come something they can never ignore!" he continued, distantly observing the entities sudden pause in surprise. The terrific power suddenly vanishing like a soap-bubble as Naruto's eyes reverted to sapphire blue.

"**How can you do that other then to release ME, US, surrender and we will show them their foolishness for mocking you."** it was a tempting offer, he felt as if he just relaxed he would truly become something amazing, something no one could expect or mock. The well of power was there again, just past the reach of his mental fingers. So close it couldn't be anything but _taunting_ him.

But Naruto had stopped believing in easy roads far to many years ago to think it would ever work out how he hoped. Tightening his grip on the sink the boy glared at his eyes as they finally morphed to red, blood-shot and hungry orbs.

"I'll do it, I'll change their minds. One by one. Day by day. Until they can't see us as just _you_ ever again." a surge of adrenaline flooded his system as he threw his challenge into the teeth of what might as well have been a god. He could feel it, that limitless pool of power was held back only by his tiny, insignificant wisps of strength. "I'm ME! And even if that means your a part of me I'll make sure they see the truth. Your only a _part!"_

"**Such **_**INSOLENCE**_** from one so young. Never has one so blatantly disrespected me, and for that you will pay mortal.**_**" **_suddenly Naruto was dropped into ankle deep water, landing face first.

Sputtering he clawed the grimy liquid from his eyes and looked around. Gone was the familiar setting of his apartment bathroom, he was in a long dingy hallway half-flooded with muddy water. Dim light pervaded the hall, though Naruto couldn't discover the source. There was a steady 'Thud' every few seconds that rippled through the walls and freezing water covering the floor, and it was far to like a heartbeat to do anything but unsettle Naruto's nerves even more.

"**Come mortal, see if you can find me before you wither and die in a cage of your own mind."** the voice echoed with unholy power and forced Naruto to his knees.

"I can! I'll show everyone I can change, that includes _you! _You'll never mock me again demon." Naruto challenged, his voice weak despite his determination.

"**We'll see, won't we Mortal?"** the voice chuckled. Forcing his feet back under him took too long, and he could feel the liquid sucking eagerly at his warmth. Shivering the boy stumbled down the hall, hoping that moving would help warm him up.

The hall twisted and turned, sometimes splitting into multiple paths, the walls would morph from dull-grey to brown and back randomly, always unbroken by seems, even his numbing fingers couldn't find a crack in them. The light never dimmed, but never brightened either. It simply stayed the same, barely lighting his endless path as the boy stumbled and dragged his body along.

The cold seeped into him from the walls, but it ravenously devoured him from the water, Naruto didn't remember the last time he could feel his toes. The lack of sensation continued to crawl ever higher up his legs while he continued to plod on in search of anything besides water and endless halls. He stopped to try and rub some life back into them, but the appendages had simply sucked the heat from his hands, leaving them every bit as dead to him.

"**Do you want to admit defeat yet, Mortal?"** the voice rang out.

Shuddering as the cold continued to eat him Naruto shook his head and grimly resumed his trudging walk, quiet splashes and gurgles marking his progress while ripples spread before and behind him endlessly. The only thing he could feel anymore was the ripple that accompanied every 'Thud' of the unseen heart.

"**You seem to be tiring Mortal, does your weak self need a reprieve?"** the demon taunted later, though how much later Naruto couldn't decide. Everything was a haze of cold, grey walls and an undisturbed vibration every few seconds.

"I'll find you." he mumbled through frost-bitten lips, the agony he couldn't feel still making him cringe.

"**HAH! You can't even find your shadow here without me!"** his invisible companion cackled.

Looking down Naruto saw the voice was correct, his body cast no shadow in the surrounding dull light. Even worse, he was beginning to evaporate, his legs were smoky shadows of their former selves and the tips of his fingers had disappeared completely. Crying in horror the boy tried to stumble faster along the endless hallway. His life-less, hardly visible feet tripped over themselves and sent the boy crashing face-first into the water again.

Floating in the fluid Naruto tried to make his limbs move, but the cold had cut them off from him completely, leaving him holding his breath and trying to pierce through the murky liquid to the bottom. He couldn't see a floor and to his horror Naruto felt the water begin to drag him deeper.

"**Should I save you, Mortal?"** the voice inquired mischievously.

Looking into the endless murk Naruto felt his hopes flickering and dying inside him. He couldn't move, couldn't retaliate, couldn't even breath. How could he fight the beast like this? He hadn't even been able to _find_ it. With a heavy heart Naruto almost gave up, almost started to answer before a recent memory came to mind.

"_Sometimes I wish Naruto would think about something besides ramen!"_

Did he want to give up already? Leave nothing changed and disappear? Could he let that be the last thought someone had of him? Forget becoming Hokage, forget changing the villages mind, they hated him already. Could he let Hinata, his classmate and now teammate have such a low opinion of his worth?

His mouth twisted into a silent snarl and Naruto dragged his head up, rage pouring into him and filling his frozen body with unreal heat. He wouldn't let such a lame thought be the last memory someone had of him, he was going to be so much more, he would become whatever it took for recognition! If that meant becoming a force of nature as raw and unbridled as the Kyuubi itself so be it, as long as it was _him_ and not the Kyuubi they saw in the end he didn't care. As his eyes broke through the surface of the water Naruto saw the hall was gone, in its place was a massive room with one wall made of imposingly thick bars with a small sheet of paper pinned halfway up reading 'Seal'. Pulling his arms from the water Naruto felt heat begin to sink back into him as he rose out of the water before the bars.

"I'm here." he said, trying to keep his anger in check despite enjoying how the feeling set his blood boiling and heart racing. He could see wisps of red chakra slipping out around the bars, and saw blue wisps coiling around and suffocating them even as they escaped.

"**So you are, Mortal. Come closer."**

High on adrenaline and feeling invincible Naruto heedlessly stalked right to the bars, peering into the blackness beyond.

"What am I suppose to see?" he asked aggressively. When there was no immediate response Naruto shifted to the other side of the bar for a different perspective.

The minor shift was the only thing that saved him as a claw thicker then himself and twice as tall slammed down through the bars on either side of the blonde. Crying out in panic Naruto flung himself as far from the bars as he could, falling into a graceless roll as he stared at the giant ivory colored claws. With a screech the terrifying weapons slid back behind the bars and were replaced with a pair of giant red eyes. A gust of red smoke curling just behind the bars as those eyes bore into him.

"**You are lucky, Mortal."** the beast said, its form still obscured completely by the darkness it crouched in. **"But none the less you are here."**

"I-I am!" Naruto replied, his voice squeaking and cracking as he wilted under the beasts glare.

"**Remember this place, Child. Soon, when you are disillusioned and the reality of your life sinks in you will want nothing more then to come here, and you will beg me to take you from it. You will want nothing but to surrender yourself to me, and then we will rage and rain destruction far and wide."** the monsters casual demeanor while stating it knew exactly how his life would turn out was enough to kick Naruto back to his feet.

"I'll never be like that! I'll never give up, you can't make me!" he roared at the unblinking orbs.

"**I won't have to. You'll come of your own free will, Child."** the voice replied.

"NEVER! Never, never, never, never!" Naruto chanted, trying to drive the insidious whispers from his mind.

"**Never is a long time, Mortal. I have lived more years then you have minutes, and I will live endlessly after you are dust. This... **_**cage**_** is nothing more then a brief rest for me!"** the force of the retort sent Naruto sliding even further back, barely keeping his feet under him. **"I am an eternal force of woe for your entire species! I am the nine-tailed beast, Kyuubi!"**

As the echoes of the foxes shout rebounded off the walls dim light began to pour behind the bars, slowly revealing their captive. Enormous claws glinted even in the poor light, and blood-red fur covered the entirety of the beasts legendary bulk. Paws that could crush mansions lay poised, patiently waiting, just beyond the bars. The foxes signature tails fanned out around, below, and above the beast, constantly twitching and swirling around each other. The head was a feral mask of hardly concealed rage as the monster sneered down at the boy, a mouth full of teeth all longer then a man displayed in all their savage glory. The eyes were the worst though. Blood-shot and glowing, practically dripping with hatred and disgust for all they perceived.

"**And now, Insect, I will have you leave. I enjoyed our little game, therefore I suppose I can let you out intact... This time."**

"But..." before Naruto could finish a wave of red energy spilled out from around the bars, engulfing him and hiding the monster that crouched in his mind from sight. It burned, yet even as it burned it filled him with power that he was certain he could never use up.

"**I am you chains, yet I am your key as well, Mortal. I can raise you up to be a titan among your pathetic species, or I can drag you down so low into the muck that they will classify you as less then the very dirt you will reside in. It would do you well to consider these facts when next you think to spit in the face of my generous offers." **

With a sudden deep breath Naruto shot upright. He was half-way in his bathroom and half in the hall with nothing but his shower towel wrapped around his waist. Shaking his head the boy tried to make sense of what had just occurred.

The fox, Kyuubi, had summoned him. Where he didn't know, but Naruto secretly hoped his mind wasn't a desolate hallway of freezing water ending in a room containing the most sadistic creature ever seen. The power that had filled him had faded, yet Naruto felt certain it remained, as always just out of reach.

"I found him." Naruto mumbled as he clambered to his feet, feeling very stiff and with a blazing headache.

"Arrrgh." he moaned, swaying slightly in the chilly air.

Stumbling to the kitchen he started water boiling for his favorite cure-all: A family-size bowl of pork ramen. Wincing with every clang of the pot and at the crinkle of wrappings Naruto looked up at his clock. Reading the time without really paying attention he went back to his cooking, well, waiting for the water to boil. The shrill buzz of his alarm in the other room sent a white-hot poker through the front of his forehead and the blonde shrieked his discomfort while staggering towards the evil device. Slapping the snooze button Naruto took a moment to enjoy the complete silence for a moment before looking back down to the simple machine.

7:25am

Blinking Naruto waited a moment for the numbers to sink in and then rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't crazy.

7:26am

"DAMN IT!" he shouted, flying into his closet and ripping on the first jumpsuit he could lay his hands on. Dancing back and forth as he tried to simultaneously button his fly, attach his various pouches for tools and weapons, and slip on a shirt. A loud 'hiss' from the kitchen cued him in that the water was boiling over onto the stove-top while the boy still struggled with his clothing.

"Why now." he moaned, headache back in full force as the alarm came back off snooze and joined in the audio calamity that was going on in his tiny apartment.

7:27am

"Gah stop that!" Naruto pleaded as the numbers continued to shift unabated despite his cries.

Snarling the boy ripped his jacket on the right way, freeing his hands to finally throw the shrieking device against the wall. With a 'crack' the casing shattered and a multitude of small brass cogs and springs exploded into his room, pinging fiercely off the floor, walls, and Naruto himself. Diving from the room to avoid the projectiles Naruto slid along the floor into the kitchen, slamming heavily into a cabinet before he hauled his aching body up enough to turn off the stove.

Across the room another clock sat proudly half-way up the wall. Proudly displaying the ever shrinking window Naruto had to make it to the bridge outside training area 63. Growling the boy gave up on breakfast and charged out the door, grabbing his sandals as he slammed the door shut and started leaping across roof-tops.

"I'll change every bodies mind." he promised himself as the rough wood and tiles of the varying roofs slapped against his feet while he careened towards the training ground. "I can still make it!"

A conveniently placed loose tile shifted just enough to throw Naruto off-balance and plummeting into the alleyway below him.

* * *

"Hmmm..." pondering the contraption before him Kakashi debated the merits of adding a second trigger to launch a brace of kunai at the victim as the first hauled them up in the air by their ankles.

"I could use this tree here, good angle and they won't be obvious..." looking his prospect over the silver-haired jonin placed his fingers on his chin in a classic 'thinking pose'.

"That might still not be complex enough. I got it! I'll add a sand-trap to activate when they cut themselves down!" giggling to himself Kakashi quickly rigged the extra trap and started to form the seals for a simple pit-fall type trap. Stopping just before releasing the technique Kakashi quickly checked his wrist watch on a whim.

8:52am

"Opps." he muttered, glaring at the device like it was at fault for him being late to his own appointment. "I'm getting slow, I only have about half the training ground prepared."

Grumbling Kakashi released his seal, letting the chakra he had prepared seep back into his body. Jumping into the trees his sharp eye constantly checked the state of his prepared surprises for the students. Multiple pit-falls and wire-traps decorated the area, even a few exploding tags and smoke bombs had been mixed in.

"_Maybe I went just a little overboard._" Kakashi thought for a moment as he continued to observe the multitude of weapons and traps that littered the training ground.

Training ground 63 had been designed to reflect most of the immediate area around Konoha. Small ponds dotted its length and it had a range of sparse trees that grew thicker the farther towards the center you traveled. There were plenty of areas to hide or lay traps, part of the reason the jonin had picked this training ground for his personal 'test'. The bridge Kakashi was meeting the genin's at was located on the western side, over a small stream, and close to the village itself.

As the bridge came into sight Kakashi leaped higher into the trees and waited patiently for his chance to drop in on his potential students without their notice. Leaning over he observed the trio interact while listening in on their conversation.

"I'm LEAVING!" the shout from Naruto was loud and clear, even where Kakashi crouched on the far side of the small bridge.

"B-but!" the jonin almost missed the Hyuga's whisper as she wriggled in obvious distress. No doubt related to the blonds pacing and wild arm motions.

"No! We've been here for an hour and a half! He's not coming!" Naruto raged right over the top of the submissive girl.

"Fine." Sasuke stated from where he leaned on the railing. "Leave, when Kakashi shows up I'll be sure to tell him you couldn't wait for him any longer, and that you were late."

"Garrrr!" Naruto screamed, trying to pull his hair out in frustration. "Why! Why, why, why isn't he here!"

"Maybe there was an emergency, maybe he decided to sleep in, maybe he's just testing us. Don't ask, use that lump between your ears and try to figure out all the reasons a _jonin_ might have better things to do then meet with a group of fresh genin." Sasuke said dismissively. "Though I hope he makes up for all this wasted time. I need to get stronger and if he can't help me I'll have to find someone who will."

Throwing his hands in the air Naruto collapsed against the railing of the bridge and glared into the water, muttering too quietly for Kakashi to pick out any of the words.

Looking over the trio, Naruto muttering and throwing rocks into the small stream, Sasuke leaning against the railing and staring off into the distance, and Hinata sitting on her heels hugging her knees to her chest Kakashi decided now would be a good time to drop in and relieve them.

Tensing the powerful muscles in his legs Kakashi rocketed out of the tree, avoiding the leaves and twigs as he maneuvered expertly into the genin's collective blind spot. Hinata might have been able to spot him, but her blood-line ability wasn't active to catch his blurring form.

Landing lightly Kakashi leaned back against the arch at one end of the bridge a few feet from the teens. Running a hand through his hair Kakashi jumped a little as he discovered a black-board eraser still clinging to him. Quickly throwing it behind him into the water Kakashi cleared his throat and watched the three students jump and whirl around.

"What the hell!" Naruto was surprisingly the first to recover and begin demanding answers. "Your almost two hours late!"

"Good m-morning Sensei." Hinata stammered as she rose to her feet and proceeded to bow much deeper then was required.

Sasuke recovered from his surprise and simply leaned back against the railing after giving Kakashi a quick nod.

"Good morning! I'm sorry I'm late." Kakashi began. "But there was an elephant trying to run off with an old ladies laundry so I had to chase it down."

Sasuke stood completely straight and turned around before dropping his jaw in disbelief while Naruto slammed a hand over his face and almost fell over. Sensing that they hadn't bought his story Kakashi shrugged and slapped his hands together.

"Right! So are you ready to start your survival training?" this statement was greeted with a chorus of approval, Naruto immediately began flexing and shouting how he was going to 'Ace' this training.

"Alrighty then, follow me to the starting point." Kakashi replied, turning and walking towards a clearing he had in mind.

The walk there was uneventful, besides Naruto's general tom-foolery, and shortly he had the trio lined up in front of him. Looking them over Kakashi wondered if this was how Namikaze Minato had felt when he himself stood before the fourth Hokage to be tested.

"_Their so small._" he thought, even Sasuke barely reached above his waist. They were all arms and legs and awkwardness, growing too quickly to be comfortable in their own bodies, yet desperate to grow up as fast as possible. Kakashi was sure even at their age he never could've been that awkward.

It was depressing to think that if they passed his test they would be thrown into the same life he himself lead. A life of death, combat, and avoiding detection. It was almost enough to make him want them to fail as every team before them. Dropping his hand to a pocket Kakashi drew the objects that had lead to the downfall of every genin trio ever presented to him before.

Two thin red strings slipped from their pocket, the small golden bells at the ends jingling quietly as he swung them lightly back and forth before the genin's eyes.

"The object of today is to take one of these bells from me." Kakashi stated. "If you get a bell you'll be able to have one of the three lunches I had prepared. If you don't get one you won't eat."

"Wait!" Naruto interrupted. "I only see two bells Kakashi-sensei. You forgot one."

"No I didn't Naruto. One of the three lunches is for me." Kakashi stated, seeing the same gears start moving in the three genin's head as every other group had done.

"So... Only two of us will eat?" Sasuke asked.

"You will get a lunch-box if you can take a bell from me. Don't overestimate your abilities _genin._" Kakashi reminded them. "Now as I was saying..."

"Preemptive _Strike!_" Naruto shouted as he snatched a Kunai from his pouch and charged towards his teacher.

Sighing Kakashi easily slid past the clumsy stab and locked Naruto's hand behind his head, the Kunai tickling the base of his skull. Twisting the boy's hand a little to get the point across Kakashi continued his instructions.

"The area of operation for this training is all of training ground 63, to include all streams, trees, hills, and valleys. It is currently..." checking his watch Kakashi noted the time. "9:10am, at 1:00pm we'll have lunch. Are there any questions?"

"Yes!" Naruto howled. "Let me GOOOO!"

"Naruto. You're eagerness for this training is spectacular, the idea of taking a bell before I even finished explaining was a good one. You recognized an object of value and tried to secure it. However!" whacking the boy lightly on the top of his head Kakashi released him so Naruto could look him in the eyes. "Your a ninja, you should have just attacked. Broadcasting your intention is a great way to get caught in a trap or lose potential advantages. I don't want to see you do anything so foolish again. Understood?"

Scuffing the dirt near his feet and not looking at Kakashi the boy nodded and replied with a simple "Yes Sensei."

"Right, if there aren't any more questions?" pausing for a moment Kakashi clapped his hands together. "Excellent, Begin."

Moving with speed that only a jonin could achieve Kakashi practically vanished from the trio's sight as he dived for cover. After breaking their direct line of sight Kakashi slithered through the underbrush for a stretch before climbing back into the trees.

"_I'll give them a few minutes to get ready."_ the jonin thought. Relaxing slightly against the trunk he began a slow count to 200.

"_sixty-seven, sixty-eight, sixty-nine..."_

"HEY!" Naruto's unmistakeable voice echoed through the woods.

"_Seventy, seventy-one, seventy-two..."_

"Where are you! Stop hiding and fight me!" a twitch started in Kakashi's right eye.

"_Seventy-three, seventy-four, seventy..."_

"Come on out you coward! I'll beat you this time!" snarling at Naruto's stupidity Kakashi began to move, creeping closer towards the source of his irritation.

As he crept closer and closer to the blond standing wide out in the open, _begging_ Kakashi to hit him with a shurkien, he spied Sasuke despite the Uchiha's excellent camouflage and the Hyuga where she crouched behind some cover.

"_Need to have her get some better-blending clothing._" Kakashi noted for himself, Hinata's beige coat stood out too much in the greens and browns of the woods. Though if Naruto didn't begin to wear something appropriate as well she would probably be overlooked just because their enemies would be blinded by the vibrant orange jumpsuit. Deciding leaving Naruto alone any longer would cause drastic problems Kakashi jumped from the cover of the trees and confronted the tiny ninja.

"Finally!" Naruto shouted, beginning to stretch out quickly. "I was getting tired of waiting for your chicken-butt to get out here for the re-match."

"Naruto..." Kakashi couldn't fathom how he was going to get the message across to the kid. "The most important thing to a ninja is being able to avoid detection. Right now I could find you without even looking."

"I don't have time for that sneaky stuff Sensei!" the overactive blond shouted. "If anyone wants to fight me I'll just beat 'em down! Now, fight me!"

Sighing Kakashi slipped his hands into his pockets before replying, "Fine, I'll show you the difference between the academy hand-to-hand combat and the real thing."

"Hell yeah! Just what I wanted." Naruto replied, shifting into a horribly sloppy fighting stance and charging. Moving his left hand into a pouch Kakashi saw Naruto draw up short, suspicion written all over his face.

"_At least he can be cautious from time to time_." the jonin thought ruefully. Grasping the object of his desire Kakashi dragged his newest book in the 'Icha Icha' series out and flipped it open to his bookmark. Watching Naruto from his peripheral vision Kakashi cracked a smile as the boy turned completely red with rage.

"What the hell is _that_!" the boy roared.

"It's a book, don't worry though, it won't make a difference against you guys. Just hurry up and attack me." Kakashi replied dismissively

"I'm gonna freaking destroy you!" as he shouted the blond threw himself into a head-on collision with his teacher.

Watching the boys clumsy, over-dramatic punch coming Kakashi lazily moved a hand and picked it out of the air before Naruto expected it. The follow-up kick was avoided with just a slight movement of his feet, hardly more then two inches left the boys foot waving in empty air. Seeing the boy wind up again Kakashi crouched and let Naruto's sweeping hi-kick pass over his head.

Spinning around Naruto continued the combination attack with a charging punch at his squatting teacher. With a shout of victory the boy's fist flew out... and hit nothing but air as Kakashi slipped under it and around behind the boy.

"Ninja aren't suppose to get caught from behind." He stated, clasping his hands together.

"Huh?" Naruto stated, dumbfounded that he hadn't even seen the silver-haired jonin move and trying to spot him.

"Too late." Kakashi said quietly before winding up to give Naruto a taste of the fourth Hokage's favorite training tool.

"_Ten-thousand years of pain_!_"_ he roared thrusting his hands up, Naruto's panicked flailing managing to make him miss his original target.

Instead of clearing Naruto of any constipation he might have Kakashi instead slammed his hands into the boys side, the force of the attack was still enough to throw the small boy well into the air and out into the lake that lapped the edge of the field. With a generous splash Naruto disappeared from view under the surface of the water.

"_One down already._" Kakashi thought sadly.

Turning back to check the locations of his other two victims more closely Kakashi missed the slight ripple of the surface of the lake. Just before he started to head off towards Hinata's general location a 'splash' drew the jonin's attention back to the lake. Three bright spots of orange were practically flying through the air at him, each one seeming ready to try and rip his head off.

"_Clones._" Kakashi thought, immediately looking to discover which of the three was the real Naruto.

Not able to find a flaw in any of the three Kakashi shifted slightly, letting the trio of blonds land in front of him. The two on the flanks immediately moved further to his sides, trying to get him trapped between all three of them. Seeing no danger yet Kakashi allowed them to encircle him.

As soon as they had him captured all three charged and attacked, one low sweeping kick, a second flying kick aimed for his head, and the last simply bulldozing in to tackle him around the waist. Frowning for a second under his mask Kakashi began to move. Lifting a foot he caught the low kick and immediately thought _"Got him."_. Ignoring the fakes he turned his attention to the boy trapped under his foot right as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"_What the Fuck!_" Kakashi reeled, recognizing the technique that Naruto was using. One that he had learned from the third Hokage personally and rarely seen used by jonin, much less chunin and _never_ a genin.

Recovering quickly Kakashi managed to lower his upper-body enough to catch the charging Naruto and catapult him directly into the thirds kick. Both puffed into smoke immediately after the slammed face-first into the other.

"Where did you learn that!" Kakashi demanded, checking the immediate area for the real Naruto. In response another wave of blonds shot from the water towards him, five in total this time.

"_Not only knows how to use it, but can create __**seven**_ _clones already?" _Kakashi didn't believe this kid had failed the academy quiz anymore, he would have to go speak with Iruka personally later. "_But for now, I better end this before he exhausts his chakra. I don't want to have to race him to the hospital._"

Still holding his book open in his left hand Kakashi did shift the focus of his attention onto the quintet of Naruto's charging him. Grabbing the wrist of the first Naruto Kakashi spun him in a circle and launched the boy into another of his fellows, creating a pair of matching 'pops' and smoke clouds. Ducking under a punch from the third Kakashi grabbed the orange jumpsuit in front of him and heaved the body inside up into the air and out of his hair for the moment. The fourth and fifth had coordinated their assaults and came in from opposite sides with matching punches. Kakashi decided to simply step back and watch them crash head-long into each other. Stretching out a hand he caught the third Naruto as he came plummeting back to the earth.

"Your fighting style is sloppy and easy to avoid or turn against you." he said. "This weakness isn't addressed by making more of you, your just creating a bigger problem cause you have to use more clones, more chakra, and more stamina to do something that should only take _you_." throwing the boy back to the ground Kakashi watched him bounce along the ground and was glad to see that even after making seven '_Shadow Clones_' Naruto seemed to be ok.

"Gah, I'm not done yet!" Naruto shouted as he fought back to his feet, forming a ram seal.

"_More? How much chakra does this kid have?_" Kakashi wondered as he stepped up to the boy and lightly pushed him over, messing up his concentration and stopping him from summoning more clones.

"New rule Naruto; You are not to use '_Shadow Clones_' until _I _say you can. If that is tomorrow or fifty years from now is up to me but I will stop our training right now if you don't agree to this." Kakashi stated mercilessly.

"That's not _fair_!" Naruto shouted, swinging wildly at the infuriating jonin. "Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to learn this? How much I payed to learn it! Don't tell me what techniques I can and can't use."

"How many clones can you make?" Kakashi asked, still effortlessly avoiding the boys swings.

"Hundreds!" he replied after a particularly poor hay-maker.

"_Liar._" Kakashi thought immediately, then noticed he had said it out loud when Naruto launched himself backwards and resumed his stance, ram seal apparent.

"I am not!" he roared before shouting "_Shadow Clone Technique!_"

Kakashi felt the massive wave of Chakra form, and dear god the child quite possibly had more chakra then he did! The pressure of the energy condensing around the boy began to rip up some of the smaller, weaker patches of grass and dirt as Naruto forced his unwieldy mass of chakra through the seal made from his hands. With a loud "_poof_" Kakashi found himself surrounded by Naruto. Forcing himself to stay calm Kakashi took a quick estimate of the blond clones. Roughly fifty-four more clones had been created, raising Naruto's current total to sixty-two. Naruto had enough chakra flowing through him to keep sixty-two people alive!

Hoping that the boys reserves were drooping low Kakashi prepared himself for the onslaught of horribly inaccurate kicks, punches, and attempted grabs. The Naruto's all rushed him at some unheard signal, but Kakashi was ready for them. Slamming a hand on the first clone's head he used the body as a base to scythe his leg across and behind it, knocking several clones back with accompanying '_pops_' as they crashed into their fellows. Continuing to rotate Kakashi went low next, sweeping the legs out from under a pair of orange clad genin. Tripping another he slammed an open palm into its chest, launching the fruit colored clone like a cannon-ball through a string of its look-a-likes.

Brushing tens of grasping, gripping hands off of his back Kakashi finally had had it. Slamming his right foot into the ground he formed a boar seal and began to channel his own impressive cache of chakra.

Using a perfect '_Replacement technique'_ Kakashi swapped places with one of the Naruto's near the edge of the pack. With practiced speed he then used a '_Transformation technique'_ to take Naruto's appearance. As the mass of genin began to argue and lash out at each other in surprise Kakashi slowly slipped away.

"_I'll deal more with him later._" the jonin thought, leaving a red string with a gold acorn attached to it near one of his traps. _"As long as he doesn't have anyone to swing at besides himself the boy shouldn't drain anymore of his reserves."_

"_SHADOW CLONE!_" Kakashi sighed as a fresh wave of Naruto's joined the current brawl going on in the center of the clearing.

"_Summoning technique!"_ with a poof as small dog appeared in front of Kakashi.

"Stay here and wait till there is only one kid left in the field. If he collapses from chakra exhaustion come find me, otherwise your free to return home."

"**Roger boss"** the dog's bark was almost drowned out under the squabbling of blond idiots.

Satisfied that he would know if Naruto's condition went critical Kakashi decided to begin hunting the rest of his students.

"Maybe these two will figure out what the test is all about." he still hoped, though knowing that these two were the least likely to ask for help.

* * *

VI.

* * *

Good comment from 'sinewyk',

His comment: 'The chakra remaining from a shadow clone comes back to the user when the technique dispels, that's why he can use them for the sage mode. So, it's only dangerous at the execution of the technique, but after that, when the clone dispel it can only be better. So Kakashi checking to see if he's going to die when all the clones are dispelled is wrong.'

My reply: On the Shadow clone technique I was under the impression the clones could interact with the world because they had a 'store' of chakra of their own. Interacting would slowly drain that 'store' and when it was up they dissapear. The memories (or a portion depending on how much chakra was left when the clone is dispelled) would return but the chakra Naruto uses to make them doesn't unless he dispells them himself. Basically every time a clone does something (walking, punching, carrying something) it uses a bit of its chakra to do that action so Naruto does not get all of his chakra back unless he is dispelling the clones immediately (This makes more sense to me then Naruto just splitting his chakra only to get all of it back time after time after time). The technique requires vast stores of chakra, and while we all know Naruto has it Kakashi doesn't have a good estimate before this chapter of Naruto's abilities. He left a summon in case Naruto 'trained' himself into the ground.

Any more for me? Feel free to PM!

**~Simply_Waters~_  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Welcome back!

July 2012 edit:

Talking/Normal stuff

_Thoughts/emphasis_

**Powerful beings/Extra emphasis**_  
_

One more time for the non-believers: "I do not own Naruto. Cry with me."

* * *

VII.

* * *

"That idiot_._" Sasuke whispered harshly under his breath.

As soon as their jonin instructor had fled he had quietly told his 'teammates' to hide themselves. He had hoped Kakashi would go after them first so he could gather more information on him. Naruto had scoffed and stayed standing in the center of the damn clearing. Though the Hyuga had shown some sense, albeit reluctantly, in parting from the orange-clad disaster.

Looking through the branches that shrouded his form Sasuke watched the blonde begin shouting and making a ruckus. Snarling silently the dark-haired boy shifted his position, hoping that he would be better hidden until Kakashi came to beat some sense into the boy.

His patience was rewarded handsomely.

Watching the whole exchange between student and teacher Sasuke analyzed as much of his new instructor's movements and speed. What he saw left him with surprisingly low confidence in his chances of securing a bell.

Naruto, ignoring his horrible form, was fast. Almost as fast as Sasuke himself, though he would never admit it out loud. The blonde also seemed to have found a way to make his clones solid, something Sasuke found incredible. However, even with half-a-hundred of himself Naruto was still incapable of even landing a single hit on their mutual teacher. Catching sight of the jonin slip away from the brawl that had finally erupted in the clearing Sasuke stealthily followed.

Kakashi summoned a small dog after he had gotten a few meters beyond the tree-line. Watching carefully Sasuke saw him give some quick instructions before striding off deeper into the woods. Swallowing Sasuke glanced about before following, the beginnings of a plan fermenting in his head. Keeping sight of his prey the second to last Uchiha waited for his chance. Soon enough the silver-haired instructor paused near a large tree to glance about.

Nimble fingers dove into a tool-pouch that decorated his leg, snatching a handful of deadly sharp shurkien. Years of trial and error combined with practice let the glittering objects fly from his hands in gruesomely accurate arcs. Holding his breath Sasuke felt a flash of pride as the missiles impacted his target, three from each side and spaced perfectly on the jonins neck, just under the ribs, and across the thighs. Leaping towards the collapsing figure Sasuke felt his victory rush dissipate instantly as the body became a simple length of log with his tools stuck half their length in its flesh.

Cursing the boy tried to return to the safety of the trees but came face to mask with the silver-haired jonin as he whirled around.

"Excellent ambush." the jonin stated as he swung,much slower then Sasuke knew he could, at the boys head.

Flipping backwards Sasuke ran through his options quickly. He knew he couldn't out-run the jonin, and if he couldn't run he couldn't hide. That left him with momentarily disrupting the older ninja so he could escape, or trying to face him down as Naruto had. Grimacing at the poor options Sasuke decided to attack.

Reversing direction the boy flew at his new instructor, sliding into his favorite offensive stance. Using tight, controlled attacks Sasuke tested his teachers reflexes. The jonin deflected his first volley of swings with depressing ease.

"_Change tactics."_ the boy thought to himself.

Rotating his feet Sasuke decided he most likely wasn't going to get a chance to run, therefore all he could do was prove that he was by far and away the best of team 7's new genin. Jumping he launched a side-swiping kick at Kakashi's chest, feeling the jonin's arm intercept it with his elbow mere inches from its goal Sasuke used his now braced foot to rotate another kick down towards the jonins head. Kakashi's other arm blocked this as well.

"_Perfect!"_ Sasuke thought smugly from where he hung, upside-down with the gleaming bells right in front of him.

Snaking a hand towards the objects Sasuke frowned as Kakashi's knee came up towards his face, far faster then his own reaching fingers. Thinking quickly Sasuke changed his plans yet again. Grabbing the older man's shoulders the boy heaved himself into a hand-stand before shoving off powerfully. Shooting up into the air he deliberately went through the motions of the one technique no one now living had seen him use. Feeling his chakra respond to his demands Sasuke moved one hand, shaped in an 'O', before his lips.

"_FIRE TECHNIQUE: GRAND FIREBALL!"_ he roared, inhaling deeply before exhaling through the 'O' and grinning at his teachers sudden stiffening before he was engulfed in flames.

Exhaling all that he could, baking the ground under him the whole time, Sasuke finally released the technique and felt gravity grab him once again. Landing lightly in the freshly-charred circle the boy looked around quickly for his teacher.

"_Not in the trees, maybe behind one?"_ he pondered from his defensive crouch.

Deciding to try and escape back to the trees while his Sensei was out of sight Sasuke turned to leap away until a sudden 'crack' shuddered through the ground under his feet.

"No way!" he shouted as Kakashi's masked face became visible, the jonin's hand already clamped tightly to Sasuke's ankle.

Feeling the jonin jerk his foot powerfully Sasuke slid into the new hole in the ground as Kakashi rocketed out and stood triumphantly before his pupil, arms crossed lightly over his slender chest.

"Decent... for a genin." Kakashi stated lazily before turning and strolling away, his damn book out and untouched.

"Damn it." was all the trapped boy could say, staring at his new teacher walk away.

Disgusted with himself for his poor showing Sasuke began to slowly try and move, only to discover the jonin had hardened the dirt around him to a rock-like texture. Gritting his teeth the black-eyed boy began to push chakra into his limbs and ever so slowly break free. That fucking jonin had _toyed_ with him.

He was weak, and that was not something that could be allowed if he was to complete his only goal in life.

* * *

Hinata was shivering, not from cold as it was fairly warm today. But from the realization that her new teacher would probably deal with her just as easily as he had her new team-mates. Using her blood-line abilities Hinata had watched Sasuke, their classes genius, be handled like a child just setting foot in the academy. Naruto was still fighting himself in the clearing, though soon there would only be one boy standing in the field.

Naruto's new technique was something Hinata had never seen before. Instead of creating clones that she could easily tell apart from the summoner Naruto had discovered a way to create a complete chakra system that mimicked his own to the smallest detail, effectively ruining her clan prided _Byakugan's _way of telling them apart. The clones ability to interact with the world was also something that made the shy girl feel immensely proud of her crush for.

Keeping a wary eye on Kakashi as the jonin shuffled about, possibly waiting for her to attack him as well, Hinata worked her way to the end of the clearing where Naruto was still dueling himself. Spying a blonde-haired boy sprawled out against a tree-trunk Hinata quietly walked up to him. Kakashi's words about her having opportunities to talk to the blonde already coming true.

"Hey Hinata!" he stated, obviously exhausted.

"H-hi." she replied, blushing slightly at the fact that Naruto was talking _to_ her!

"I don't think Kakashi is in that mess anymore... how about you?" the boy continued, tiredly waving at the handful of clones still tangled in a mass of skinny arms and legs.

"I th-think he lef-ft pretty quickly a-after transforming." Hinata timidly answered.

"Ah... Yeah, with that many of me around even a jonin might work up a sweat eh?" the blonde said cheerfully as a copy of himself slammed a right hook into another, producing a pop.

"W-why are your cl-clones still f-fighting t-then?" the girl queried.

"Kind of a weird answer, but I'm learning." Naruto exclaimed. "And since it's really hard to find anyone to spar with I just got caught up in the fact that there was someone to fight who didn't win all the time... well... I suppose beating myself isn't really wining or losing is it?" looking at her calmly Naruto seemed to be waiting for something.

This time Hinata found she had questions. His big blue eyes threatened to drag her deep into themselves, but he seemed to be open to talking about his newest ability. Squatting next to the blonde, lowering her head so her bangs covered the blush that formed, Hinata started to talk.

"Learning? L-Like by watching?"

"No, more like..." his expressive face scrunched up as he looked for the words. "... I'm out there, like each clone I make is actually me!"

"T-that's amazing!" Hinata cried, surprising herself with how easy the words seemed to flow once she started, and after he responded.

"I know! I just sparred with myself twenty times in the last five minutes!" Hinata saw him try to get up and dance, but finding that too difficult, settled for flailing his arms about. "I got soooo many more moves I wanna try right now its _crazy_!"

"A-are you o-ok?" Hinata inquired as the usually hyperactive boy seemed almost incapable of moving.

"Just... overloaded I guess." he proceeded to explain. "It's really freaking hard to make all those clones, I end up really tired and it's even harder to mold chakra properly. Even worse is all those punches and kicks that I take all come back to me, like it happened to me as well as the clone."

"Your h-hurt!" Hinata cried, immediately scanning the boy for obvious injuries.

"Nah, it's like remembering a punch instead of feeling it fresh. Still makes you cringe but doesn't actually hurt." Naruto replied, absently waving off Hinata's roaming eyes. "But getting hit all over for ten-minutes still sucks." he finished with a grimace.

"O-oh..." Hinata said quietly, looking down at her bridged pointer fingers in embarrassment.

The two genin remained seated for a few moments as the last of Naruto's clones finished themselves off. After the last pop Naruto seemed to shudder slightly and inhale deeply before turning his face back towards his companion.

"So... Now that _that's_ done, where is our instructor?"

Falling backwards at the realization that she had forgotten to keep an eye on Kakashi. Quickly forming a seal she pushed chakra to her eyes and activated her exceptional eye-sight. A quick scan of the immediate perimeter showed nothing, and a second, larger search also failed to produce signs of the sneaky silver-haired ninja.

"I-I don't k-know a-anymore." she said after finishing, dropping her head in shame.

Naruto pushed himself heavily to his feet, staggered a bit before extending a hand to her and stating, "Well that happens, jonin are suppose to be awesome right?"

Blushing three-shades of red Hinata shakily raised her own hand half-way to Naruto's before she chickened out and started to let it fall. With a surprisingly quick flicker Naruto's own hand grasped hers as the boy leaned back and helped her to her feet. Trying to not pass-out from the second sudden rush of blood to her face Hinata swayed almost as badly as Naruto had.

"He beat you up too?" the blonde asked, an almost hopeful expression on his face.

"No... n-not y-yet." she replied, looking down quickly.

"_He wants me to get beat up?_" the Hyuga almost felt tears start to form.

"How about Sasuke? Did Kakashi-sensei manage to pop his over-inflated ego at least?" the boy pressed.

"H-he's stuck in a h-hole about a hundred m-meters from here." Hinata said quietly.

"Hah! At least I wasn't alone in getting my butt handed to me then." Naruto cheered, "I would have felt horrible if you guys managed to beat him before I got another shot."

Realizing that the boy had just been worried about herself or Sasuke _beating_ their monster of a teacher Hinata released a little of the tension that had coiled inside her. Smiling nervously she pointed out the way as Naruto asked her to show him to where his 'rival' was buried in the dirt.

"Keep an eye out for that sneaky white-haired prick too." the blond reminded her as they stumbled slowly, thanks to Naruto's exhaustion, towards their last team-mate.

"S-sure!" Hinata said with enthusiasm she rarely felt, quickly reactivating her blood-line she proceeded to search with vicious intensity for the masked ninja.

Half-way there Hinata heard and felt a '_snap' _under her right foot. Focusing on the sound she saw an almost invisible wire shooting off into the underbrush. She also heard the sound of a young sapling springing straight and tall after being forced to bend. To her horror she also saw the glittering kunai that decorated it as they were sent rocketing towards herself and her blonde escort, the shock was enough to make her deactivate her _Byakugan_.

"N-Naruto!" she cried, turning to push him out of the way, but finding nothing but air.

Unable to get out of the way with her feet tangled from the unsuccessful attempt to save Naruto, Hinata hunched over in anticipation for the pain. Closing her white eyes and hoping it wouldn't be too bad. There was a series of thuds and ripping sounds that made her squirm, but the pain never came. As the rustling of the sapling quieted Hinata slowly opened her eyes and looked at her side that had been facing the trap.

There were no sharp, deadly objects sticking out of her, no red staining her clothing. Looking up Hinata saw an orange-clad back, one that she had always been admiring and now seemed wider and stronger then ever. She also saw the crimson droplets that decorated the ground in front of him.

"Ouch." the boy groaned and started to fall backwards.

Shouting Hinata slipped her arms under his shoulders and held the battered blonde's upper body from hitting the ground. From her new perspective over his shoulder Hinata could see four smugly glinting kunai decorating his fore-arms and chest. They probably weren't deep, at least that's what the logical portion of her mind kept screaming, but that side had been beating into the ground so often it rarely stood up anymore.

"I-I'm sooo so-sorry N-narut-to!" she cried, glaring at the knives and trying to think if it would be safe to remove the razor-sharp tools from her crushes skin.

"S'all right." he muttered under a groan. "I was too freaking tired... couldn't get you out of the way." cloudy blue eyes were filled with pain and slowly swelling with involuntary tears.

"B-but I p-panicked!" Hinata said, "I-if I had j-just moved we would h-have been f-fine!"

"Maybe," the boy replied quietly before raising a red-coated arm and pointing in front of them. "But I think... taking a few kunai is probably better... then tripping that would have been."

Glancing at the area Hinata cursed herself as the spider-silk thin thread of ninja wire glittered evilly just beyond Naruto's feet. How did she miss them? Hinata had no answer for herself and felt horrible. Naruto had asked her to keep an eye out and she had missed not one, but _two_ traps, and got him injured. Shaking as she felt her tears form and begin to fall Hinata hid her face behind Naruto's shoulder, confused and unsure of how she could help him without making it worse.

She felt the growing muscles in his back flex as he slowly dropped a hand onto one of the kunai imbedded in him. She could feel the fibers expanding as he slowly pulled the blade out, or tried to, after a few seconds he went limp and loosed a pain-filled whimper.

Unable to handle hearing that noise leave her crushes throat Hinata gently let him lay down before gritting her teeth and moving beside him. Gently moving his right hand from the handle of the knife she placed her own tiny, pale fingers around the bloodied hilt.

"A-are you s-sure y-you want i-it out?" she asked, looking at the rainy eyes below her.

His recently disturbed hand fumbled on the ground for a second before procuring a thumb-sized stick that he slipped behind his slightly elongated canines. As he nodded at her Hinata could feel the kunai shift as he flexed, preparing for the pain she should have been feeling. Steeling herself Hinata pulled slowly on the knife, feeling it loosen and then pull free.

No longer contained Naruto's rich red blood began to spill out from the wound faster. Cursing in a very un-Hyuga-like manner Hinata used the now freed kunai to shred the sleeve of her comforting coat. Slicing the garment's sleeve into several long strips she packed one strip on top of the wound and tied another to hold it in place and continue to apply pressure. Naruto exhaled deeply before motioning towards the next knife.

The gruesome process was repeated three more times and Hinata's coat was in tatters, exposing the dark t-shirt she had worn underneath, before she was able to lean back and exhale the breath she had been holding. Naruto had started to recover soon after she removed the first kunai and had even helped her bandage his left arm. Now he was leaning back against another tree, a safe distance from the second trap, with his head back and eyes closed.

Hinata was fussing over the bandaging and mentally berating herself when his blue eyes opened again and he fixed them on her.

"_Here it comes."_ she cringed, expecting him to yell at her and tell her how stupid she was.

"Well that sucked." was all he said, reaching down to push himself to his feet. "Come on, I still wanna make fun of the _genius_ who got buried up to his head."

Looking down Hinata tried to find the words to express how horrible she felt about Naruto getting hurt, especially since he had protected her. When she finally found the courage to look up however, all she saw was an extended hand as the blonde leaned heavily on the tree he had been sitting against.

"Lets go! He might get loose!" the boy urged, despite the obvious pain he felt every time he moved.

Mind scrambled Hinata just looked up at his eyes and asked, "D-doesn't it h-hurt?".

Laughing the blonde clutched his bleeding abdomen as the happy, yet pain-filled sound continued despite his attempt to contain it.

"Heh, I get hurt worse then this all the time." he said when he finally stopped laughing. "I'll be fine by tomorrow. I'm too awesome to get really hurt by a trap, it would take a jonin, or maybe a Kage to put me down!"

"Oh." Hinata stated, feeling a new level of respect for the blonde. Why couldn't she be more like him? Able to shrug off the hurtful things people said, or hurts themselves, and be ready for anything all the time. The logical side of her mind decided now would be a good time to remind her that the knives hadn't been flung with too much force either, merely penetrating enough to hold themselves in place. Glancing about Hinata admitted most of the traps were of a decidedly less then lethal variety as long as they didn't do anything dumb, like _not_ try to dodge or mitigate damage.

"Soooo, come on!" he urged, once again extending a hand to help her up.

Holding her breath Hinata clasped Naruto's hand and felt him pull, helping her to her feet. Hearing him hiss slightly as the extra effort pulled on his wounds Hinata felt a stab of guilt. She should have helped him up, not the other way around. Naruto was already moving though, making her miss the chance to stutter an apology.

Activating her _Byakugan _again Hinata resolved to catch _everything_ that might be a threat to herself or her injured crush as they approached the still-immobile Sasuke. Her confidence was slightly buoyed when she did manage to spot a few more and guide Naruto around them safely.

"Almost t-there." she said quietly just before they broke into the small clearing Sasuke was still stuck neck-deep in the middle of.

"Awesome!" the blonde said, straightening and covering his grimace of pain with a large, toothy grin. "Now just watch this!"

The boy immediately proceeded to stroll into the clearing like nothing was wrong with him, glancing around like he was looking for something. Hinata cautiously followed after checking to make sure their sensei wasn't watching from a nearby tree. Naruto walked a slow, winding pattern up to where Sasuke's head was peeking out from the dirt.

"Oi! Watch it idiot!" Sasuke finally shouted, right before Naruto stepped on him.

"Huh?" the blonde replied, glancing around at eye-level before deliberately stepping onto Sasuke's head. "I hear Sasuke, but I can't see him! Hinata, help! We lost Sasuke!"

"I'm going to hurt you." Sasuke said calmly, glaring at Hinata's crush with deadly eyes. "Stop being an idiot."

"Weird, where are you Sasuke?" Naruto continued, stepping off Sasuke's head and wandering around him in circles, keeping his eyes at chest height. Grabbing a nearby branch they boy turned around and started flicking the leaves that clung to it under Sasuke's nose.

"Look! The rock moves!" he cheered as Sasuke grabbed the branch in his teeth and gave a death-glare to the blonde.

"N-naruto!" Hinata called, appalled that he would treat his team-mate so callously, not that she particular cared for Sasuke. Looking at her with a hurt expression Naruto finally dropped the charade as well as the branch, and knelt down next to Sasuke's head.

"Right, couldn't help but take the chance to trample all over you after all these years." the boy snickered.

"Just wait till I get out of here." Sasuke promised coldly.

"Yeah... looks like you might be here a while." Naruto replied. "Mind if I take a nap?"

"Anything to get you to leave me alone." Sasuke returned viciously, obviously hating that he had to look up at the blonde.

Naruto nodded and with an exaggerated yawn sprawled out on a nearby tree-root. Hinata, caught flat-footed by the boy's open hostility with each other finally made her way next to the Uchiha heir.

"U-umm..." she started, but was cut off as Sasuke snarled.

"I've got it handled."

Backing up quickly Hinata looked at her toes and saw her fingers making a bridge again while she tried to disappear. Sasuke continued to glare at her for a moment before snorting and going back to whatever he had been doing before. Unsure of what to do Hinata moved closer to Naruto and crouched down, hoping something would break the tension she felt. Several minutes later Naruto sat up and fixed Sasuke with a curious expression.

"Seriously dude... shouldn't you be out and _trying_ to kick my ass already?"

"I'll be out in a second!" Sasuke roared, red faced and sweating from exertion.

"It's only dirt, prick." Naruto continued to poke fun at the immobilized boy.

"No it's NOT!" the head replied harshly. "Kakashi-Sensei did something to it!"

Frowning Naruto scooted closer and tried to dig at the earth around the Uchiha's neck. His audible cry as his fingers failed to penetrate caused the stuck individual to wince and give Hinata what almost looked like a pleading expression. Now curious herself the Hyuga poked the ground with a slender finger of her own. The texture of the dirt felt more solid then steel, refusing to give an inch despite Hinata putting her entire weight into it.

"Wow... that's really stiff." Naruto exclaimed, leaning back on his heels. Hinata had to agree.

"Thank you, now let me think." Sasuke stated, trying to turn his face away from the pair.

Naruto began to poke around at the dirt in a slowly expanding circle around Sasuke, his fingers finally sinking into the suddenly soft soil about a foot from Sasuke's neck. Curious fingers proceeded to excavate a small pile of the dark soil.

"Smaller then I thought." Sasuke stated, looking at Naruto's widening hole.

"_Byakugan_" Hinata said quietly, activating her eyes once again.

Looking closely she could see the gleaming threads of their Sensei's chakra laced through the ground around the black-haired boy. It extended around him in a close cocoon, holding him firmly in place under the soil.

"How bad is it?" Sasuke said suddenly drawing Hinata's attention to his face.

"Ummm... T-there is only enough ch-chakra infused dirt to h-hold you in place. It d-doesn't extend much p-past your body e-except for your neck." she replied, the gears in the Uchiha's head beginning to grind already.

"I should be able to break out if I get some space around me then." he mumbled.

Hinata saw something cross the boys face, a look of absolute loathing and disgust, before he fixed herself and the blonde nearby with icy black eyes.

"I need your... Help." spitting the last word like rotten meat Sasuke continued to glare at them, Naruto specifically.

The blonde leaned back and whistled quietly before turning to Hinata with a "Did that really just happen?"

Nodding was the only reply the girl could give as her own voice couldn't be trusted since the class genius/lone wolf had just asked for their help, however rudely. Naruto, seeing that she had heard the statement as well broke into a huge grin and stood, arms crossed over his chest defiantly.

"Why should I?"

The trapped Uchiha's face was very close to turning purple and rage was practically making the air around him _vibrate_. Taking a deep breath the boy finally responded a minute later.

"Cause I asked you, idiot!" he finally stated.

"Dumbass! That doesn't mean anything!" Naruto responded, poking his tongue out.

"JUST... Garh, screw it, I'll do it myself!" Sasuke ground out once again glaring at Naruto.

"N-naruto? S-shouldn't we h-help him?" Hinata said worried about what might happen to the black-eyed boy if he was left trapped.

"When he asks nicely, and buys me six bowls of ramen for embarrassing me in class." the blonde stoically stated.

"Outrageous!" Sasuke shouted, his neck cording as he tried to escape the dirt prison and strangle the irritating orange-clad boy. "You embarrass ME just by being in the _room_!"

"Lalalalala not listening to whiny goths!" Naruto droned, placing his fingers in his ears.

Unsure of how to continue Hinata decided to focus on keeping an eye out for their Sensei while the boy's continued to bicker and insult each other. Looking past the leaves and branches, behind rocks and even into the earth below Hinata tried to block out the squabbling. Gasping as a figure shifted stealthily from one tree to another Hinata quickly turned back to the boys.

"Kakashi-Sensei is c-coming!" she whispered, her mood rising slightly as the two immediately stopped their arguing.

"Fuck!" Naruto said, looking down at the middle of his battered uniform as a rumble filled the clearing "I can't beat him on an empty stomach!"

"You wouldn't even be able to after three years of meals!" Sasuke retorted, a sudden flare in his chakra showing his frenzied attempt to get free.

"Hey! At least I didn't get buried and left for the wolves." Naruto spitefully replied.

"H-he's getting closer!" Hinata whispered again, fear gripping her as the ghostly figure crept towards them yet again.

"Fine! I'll buy your damn ramen idiot! Just get me out before he gets _here!"_ the Uchiha finally broke, Naruto's happy cry caused the grounded individual to grimace.

"_Shadow Clone!"_ Naruto yelled, holding his hands in a seal.

Watching through her clans blood-line Hinata was able to see the massive pool of uniquely purple chakra that suddenly flowed out of Naruto's abdomen, flooding his impressive chakra pathways with ridicules amounts of raw power. It twisted and danced through the seal made by his hands before six more Naruto's '_popped'_ into existence around the trio.

"Start digging! We got free Ichiraku ramen at stake!" the original cried, starting to tear at the dirt himself while the clones fell in along side him.

Hinata had to step back as the air seemed to disappear under an avalanche of excavated dirt. She could see through the cloud to where Sasuke was being rapidly unearthed by the frenzied pace the Naruto's set. She could also see their teacher drop his attempts to sneak up on them and begin approaching at fantastic speeds. Naruto wasn't going to make it in time, not even with seven of him.

A loud _'CRACK'_ ripped through the clearing as Sasuke was finally able to shatter the bonds that held him, leaping from the hole the Uchiha looked over at Hinata and shouted for her for distance and direction to the jonin.

"T-twenty meters and closing! Your f-four-o-clock high!" she replied, though with the noises coming from the trees she doubted Sasuke couldn't spot their Sensei already.

"_Fire technique: Grand Fireball!_" Sasuke roared, one hand over his mouth as he inhaled and blew a stream of fire towards their approaching adversary, blocking him from Hinata's view with chakra laced fire.

"Follow me!" he shouted as his hand came down a moment later. "We need time!" leaping into the trees the Uchiha started to race off.

"OI! Where's my ramen!" one of the Naruto's shrieked as he took off after his meal-ticket, the other six however leaped towards the scorched portion of the forest the jonin had hidden himself in.

Taking a deep breath Hinata followed the pair into the trees, her nimble feet carrying her easily through the branches. Within a few breaths she had caught up to the boys and the trio converged enough to shout back and forth.

"Do we have eyes on him?" Sasuke said, slipping under a leaf-covered branch.

Shaking her head Hinata tried to look more closely behind them, hoping to spot the elusive jonin in question. She almost jumped as Sasuke suddenly jumped next to her and dragged her out of the way of a tree-trunk.

"Careful! You've got the best chance to spot him." the boy chided harshly.

"He's coming." Naruto groaned, stomach still rumbling audibly.

"Of course he is!" the Uchiha retorted in irritation.

"He also just took out all my clones." Naruto said mournfully, "I didn't even hit him _once_! He was headed for the treeline on our right though."

Altering her focus on Naruto's input while the blonde explained some of his clones special abilities to Sasuke, Hinata was able to finally latch onto the jonin.

"G-got h-him!" she cried, incredibly happy that she was being useful. "Tree-l-line on our right, seventy m-meters and closing."

"Right, lets set up on that hill-top." pointing ahead Sasuke took the lead, despite Naruto's attempt to spearhead their formation.

"Hinata!" the black-haired boy continued, glancing to see her bob her head, "Your going to have to take him on."

Slipping slightly Hinata barely managed to recover before braining herself against a trunk.

"B-but neither of y-you could e-even h-hit him!" she stuttered, hoping she wouldn't be forced to disappoint her team-mates by failing.

"Not alone! If I couldn't take him you can't either." the dark boy replied dismissively, "Naruto is going to back you up."

"Why am I the back-up!" Naruto shouted indignantly.

"Because you just said yourself you cant even _hit_ him, dumbass." Sasuke continued, "Hinata's _Gentle Fist_ should be enough to disable even a jonin if she can hit him."

"Huh?" the blonde replied, quizzical expression on his face.

"Her whole family could disable you with just a touch, remember when we covered this in class?" Sasuke stated as they neared the hill-top.

"Ummmm." Naruto replied

"Well she can do it too. So Hinata's got the strongest attack out of the three of us in this situation." Sasuke finally continued. "So your back-up."

Frowning Naruto looked at the Uchiha as they dropped onto the barren opening on the hill-top, "What are you doing then? Besides sticking around to buy me ramen."

"Cover fire." the boy replied, placing himself further back along the hill and forming hand-seals.

"Hinata." he said, catching her attention he continued, "I only have enough chakra for a few blasts right now, so you can't hold back."

Feeling sudden apprehension grip her insides in a vice-like grip Hinata tried not to pass out just from the pressure of being relied on. Sasuke's eyes were roaming, searching for his target, Naruto formed his rapidly becoming signature hand-seal and brought another quartet of clones out surrounding her protectively. On reflex her head dipped, hiding her eyes behind strings of black-blue hair even as they continued to watch their teacher approach, and her fingers formed a small bridge.

"You ready?" one of the Naruto's asked, shaking her shoulder lightly.

Blushing from the contact Hinata couldn't bring herself to nod, only lower her head further.

"Your the second best in our entire class Hinata." the clone said after not getting a response, "If you can't do it with me covering for you then nobody can!" with that the clones formed seals and shouted "_Transform!"_ as one.

Like seeing double Hinata was suddenly surrounded by herself, though one clone had the color of her shorts wrong, another forgot to keep the coat shredded, and all of them had bandages visible on them. Looking up slightly Hinata felt a surge of confidence as all the mirror images gave a huge grin and thumbs-up to her before turning towards the trees.

"He's here!" Sasuke shouted before launching a massive fire blast towards the jonin as he landed.

"Here we _go!_" one of the Naruto-Hinata's shouted, springing forward with energy he shouldn't have been able to muster anymore.

Swallowing her fears and apprehension Hinata chased after her shadow into the fray.

* * *

"_Seen it."_ Kakashi thought lazily as the pillar of fire raced towards him.

Slipping easily around the blast he spotted a group of Hinata look-a-likes charging. Easily identifying them as Naruto's clones by their stances and lack of Hyuga grace Kakashi focused on the girl in the middle of the pack, uncertainty and determination written in equal portions across her face.

"_Beautiful! Simply beautiful."_ he cheered in his head. This group had already passed his test at this point, and all that was left was finding out how much training Hinata was in need of. Keeping his book out Kakashi still shifted his focus to the genin who were almost in range.

Blinking in surprise as one of the clones grabbed another and began to spin in a circle Kakashi grabbed the first one by the head, his hand easily engulfing the top of it, and slammed it brutally into the ground where it dissipated into wisps of smoke. Hinata blanched and hung further back, but the clones seemed to fall over themselves to get to him.

Deflecting a wide swing Kakashi let his hand drift, almost lazily, up to the clones throat and smash it with unwavering precision and produce another puff of smoke. The third clone dove for his legs so Kakashi simply raised one foot and brought it back down, trapping the figure under his heel hard.

Expecting another puff of smoke the jonin did a double-take as thin arms wrapped around his legs in a vice-grip and a strained "GOTTCHA!" exploded as the tiny girl-figure was replaced with a grinning blonde.

"FIRE!" another shouted, and was rewarded with another column of red flames that raced directly for the captured jonin.

Dragging the cumbersome weight with him Kakashi leaped out of the way, and managed to see a blur of beige cloth and milky white skin right before he lost feeling along the left side of his ribs. Landing the jonin was able to take in the unexpected image of the shy Hyuga staring in awe at her own hands.

"YES!" the burden laughed from around his ankle, "You got one in Hinata!"

Almost feeling like laughing, or maybe dancing, himself Kakashi kept his icy demeanor intact despite the joy. Finally he was going to get to teach! Finally a group got their act together and were willing to work together. But, just cause he was going to teach them didn't mean he was going to make it easy on them, and he still hadn't seen everything the girl had.

Kicking forcefully Kakashi managed to break Naruto's grip on his ankle and send him rolling out of the immediate area. Flexing to test how much his body was hampered the silver-haired jonin cracked a smile as he deduced the blow he had taken wouldn't impede him. Tossing a handful of shurkien to keep the blonde occupied Kakashi raced towards the dark-haired Uchiha, hearing a handful of choice curses from both his target and the ignored blonde.

Obviously drained from escaping his earthen trap and launching multiple fireballs Sasuke wasn't able to dodge properly as Kakashi slammed his open hand against the boy's temple. The black eyes hazed over and the prodigy slumped to the ground boneless while Kakashi whirled around to deflect Hinata's next attack, carefully pushing against her wrist to avoid the boiling mass of chakra that poured out her palm.

Grabbing the girls wrist Kakashi flipped the girl over onto her back before leaping towards the rapidly recovering Naruto. Before he could get in range to disable the blonde the jonin had to duck as another of Naruto's clones was finally released by its counterpart to fly into his path. Shaking his head Kakashi dispelled the still air-borne copy with a kunai. The final clone fell over, dizzy and green-looking from building the force necessary to fling it's brother.

Reaching Naruto as the boy took his abominable stance again Kakashi blew through his pathetic guard with a chakra-enhanced blow to his chest that sent the boy flying just like his recently dispatched clone. Keeping an eye out the jonin winced slightly as the blonde slammed harder then he intended into a tree. When he didn't immediately hop up Kakashi confirmed he was still breathing before turning to face the last standing member of his new team.

"N-narut-to?" she said quietly, looking towards the crumpled boy with a pain-filled and horrified expression.

Stoically refusing to give the girl peace of mind, regardless of how much it hurt him as well, Kakashi lunged towards her slow enough to let the heir respond. She almost didn't make it, his controlled attack still sent her rolling backwards but Hinata recovered quickly and resumed her stance hesitantly.

"Can you go on?" Kakashi said coldly, hoping he wouldn't break her in the process of forging a ninja "Even now, facing an obviously superior ninja can you help them?"

The shy Hyuga seemed to compress, shrinking into herself before his eyes as her own doubts and insecurities hammered at her. Wishing there was an easier way Kakashi continued his mental flogging.

"What can you do right now? You can't beat me, you can't outrun me, and you can't stop me... can you?"

Defeat was written on her face already, something that almost broke Kakashi's heart. They were almost perfect. All three had their strengths and weaknesses, but Hinata was the weakest link of the three. If she couldn't find it in herself to _try_ the girl would only drag the boys down for the entirety of their career, something that could far to easily prove fatal for the budding team.

"Fuck yes she can!... BLLUUURG!" came a shout from across the clearing, followed quickly by the sounds of more vomiting as the final, forgotten clone tried to get back to his feet.

"She's gonna... ughh... Kick your ass in a second... Just gimme a moment... stupid world spinning." the clone ranted while dragging himself towards the shock-frozen pair.

"_His willpower is something to be truly in awe of. Even his copies won't back down for a breath."_ Kakashi marveled at the painfully slow progress of the retching image of his student. Even that feat was buried in the back of his mind as Kakashi caught sight of Hinata's face.

Fear and hesitance were gone, the broken, fragile girl that would destroy her team from the inside had been forged in seconds into a sword. Her eyes were hard, face held in effortless Hyuga perfection, and her body hung with practiced ease. She was a ninja now, pure and simple death given form. Grinning behind the mask Kakashi lazily threw a shurkien to remove the final clone before he could attempt anything rash and flexed his hands in anticipation. Hinata didn't make him wait.

A low-high combination of _Gentle fist_ strikes came with robotic precision, aiming to stop movement and chakra in both his thigh and shoulder. Slipping a hand through the girls shorter arms Kakashi twisted the blows out to his sides, the deadly chakra in her palms exploding within centimeters of his skin. Seamlessly she switched to a body-blow, killer amounts of energy directed at his soft internal organs. Dropping an elbow Kakashi forced the Hyuga's own elbow down, his other hand, finally dropping his book, pushing up on her wrist to let the energy dissipate between them. She had dropped the mask, frustration written plainly on her face, but there was no surrender in those eyes.

Dropping the girls arm Kakashi gave a quick, snappy kick to her side that sent the girl tumbling across the empty hill-top yet again. Winded and shaken she still managed to take her stance before he was in range.

"I'll s-stop you!" she forced out, the words shaky, quiet, and the most beautiful sound Kakashi thought he had ever heard.

Brutally grabbing thin, pale wrists with his own large hands Kakashi picked the weakly struggling girl up till they were eye-to-eye. Taking a moment to let the realization settle in for himself Kakashi finally dropped his glare and smiled.

"You pass."

The struggles stopped instantly as an unbelieving expression passed over the normally tightly controlled heiress' face. When she tried to voice her question Kakashi lightly set her down and pointed a finger towards the still un-moving blonde.

"Grab Naruto for me and drag him over here." turning away the jonin preformed a similar action for the unconscious Uchiha.

When both boys had been placed in the center of the hill-top Kakashi quickly preformed a medical analysis on them. Finding nothing worse then a few bruises on Sasuke and only a few minor cuts on Naruto Kakashi leaned back on his heels and motioned for Hinata to take a seat as well.

"They should be up soon. I don't want you to tell either of the boys what happened after they were knocked out." Kakashi said, his normal warmth creeping back into his tone.

"Why?" the girl asked, seating herself while still watching him suspiciously.

"It will push them. They know you couldn't beat me, but the lack of conformation will leave force them to wonder if maybe, just maybe you managed to." the jonin reasoned. "Since their boys they will want to prove they are just as good or better then you, that will translate to pushing themselves much harder then they normally would."

Nodding at the logic Hinata fixed her gaze onto the blonde genin as he began to move slightly. Within a few moments Sasuke sat up and glared around. Seeing Hinata and Kakashi relaxing he released a minute amount of his tension before opening his mouth.

"What happened?"

"I'll explain when Naruto gets up." Kakashi said, looking pointedly at the twitching boy in question.

Unhappy the Uchiha made himself more comfortable and joined the others in waiting for the obnoxious genin to wake. After another five minutes Sasuke lost patience and slapped the shorter boy. Hinata _growled,_ quietly, at him behind his back until the assaulted child sat up with a bewildered expression. Seeing Hinata, more or less still intact he leaped to his feet, throwing both hands in the air.

"YES! Take that Kakashi, I told you she'd kick your ass!" he gleefully gloated, the look on Sasuke's face was priceless.

"I've got some bad news." Kakashi stated, ignoring the blondes taunting and smiling behind the mask at how quickly the boy quieted.

"What?" apprehension was palpable as it poured of the boys in waves.

"Sasuke, your overconfident and hesitant to rely on those you deem weaker then yourself." the jonin started. "Instead of trying to help Naruto you sat back and tried to glean information despite your team-mate being obviously over-matched. While that action in and of itself isn't always wrong you did it for the wrong reasons, assuming that you could succeed alone instead of together." the black-eyed boy glared back at Kakashi for a moment before dropping his gaze.

"Naruto." Kakashi continued before the blonde could tease his counterpart. "You acted both immature and reckless. Instead of trying to gain an upper-hand through stealth or tactics you boldly declared a challenge. I could have killed you before you even saw me." the blow struck home as the bright boy quieted and stared at his feet in shame.

"Your _tai-jutsu_ is horrible and while you react quickly your too quick to call out or broadcast your intent. All this combined means your the easiest to defeat of the team, despite your ability to create solid clones." the blonde seemed to shake with barely concealed retorts, but they stayed contained because he knew his teacher was right.

"Hinata. Your too hesitant. If you had joined Naruto or Sasuke in their first conflict the outcome of this whole event might have been different." even armed with the knowledge she had passed his test Kakashi saw her fill with self-loathing.

"Why do you think we had this exercise?" he asked the three disillusioned genin before him.

"To see how good we are?" Sasuke asked.

"To make us feel dumb." Naruto said bitterly, kicking the dirt.

"To see if you could form a team." Kakashi replied, seeing Hinata wasn't going to voice any of her questions. "I deliberately set up this _test_ to see if you could work together or if you would all try and complete the mission yourselves."

"W-we did w-work together though!" Hinata exclaimed

"_Eventually_. Tell me, if I had actually been trying to kill you would any of you be alive right now?" Kakashi drove on.

"I would have managed!" both Naruto and Sasuke replied before glaring at each other.

"I've been asked to teach a team of genin four times." Kakashi stated, catching all three children's attention, "You are the fifth. Guess how many teams have failed this test, how many I refused to teach?"

"Three!" Naruto boldly stated, arms crossed.

"Five." Kakashi replied, seeing the realization cross the boy's faces, and confusion in Hinata's.

"You all failed spectacularly." turning around Kakashi took a few steps away before turning back to see the trio completely emotionally destroyed.

"However." he added, seeing their heads swing up, "You managed to get your act together before lunchtime." looking at his watch the jonin cursed as the time read 3:18pm.

"_So much for lunchtime..._" the jonin thought crossly.

"So you three, as the _sixth_ team to attempt this test..." leaving them hanging for a moment till Naruto looked ready to explode Kakashi finally finished. "Passed."

Grinning from ear to ear under his mask Kakashi watched the trio just about drown in happiness, to different extremes of course. Hinata simply smiled and glowed. Sasuke slammed one fist against the opposite palm, and Naruto was jumping around and doing cart-wheels while shouting.

"Now I'll tell you the good news, and what I have planned for each of you." Kakashi quieted the genin down after a few moments

"Sasuke, your _tai-jutsu_ is progressing well, despite the lack of a experienced teacher." looking up the Uchiha gave him a questioning look. "Your still sloppy with some of your movements, and I happen to know a master of your clans particular style. You will be training with them tomorrow."

Sasuke had a look of suspicion on his face. as the only other known living Uchiha was his brother who had turned traitor the suspicion was logical. Kakashi left him pondering and moved on to the next pupil.

"Hinata, your _tai-jutsu_ is nearly flawless in the movements and techniques you know, I can't teach you as _Gentle fist_ is _supposedly_ only known by the Hyuga, however I will have you practicing the motions of what you do know and expect you to request additional lessons from your clan instructors, I will observe and help you master what you learn." the girl nodded, obviously happy for the praise but dreading more lessons with her harsh instructors.

"And you Naruto." Kakashi said, finally turning to the blonde. "Will be practicing with Sasuke, Hinata, and myself to correct the mountain of problems in your own _tai-jutsu_."

"How am I suppose to do that? I can't train in three places at once Sensei!" the boy raged.

"You can't?" Kakashi questioned pointedly.

"No! I'm only one person." Naruto continued, flailing his arms about.

"You use _Shadow clones_, don't you?" Kakashi replied.

"Yeah, so wha... Oh..."

The realization hit the blonde in the middle of his retort and brought with it a look of deep concentration. Glad he was beginning to see the beginnings of just how versatile his technique was Kakashi smiled and decided to wrap it up for the children.

"We'll begin training tomorrow, at this training ground. I'll test your chakra to see what natural affinities you all have and we will begin to incorporate ninja techniques in your routines as well. After a month, if I think your progressing well, we will begin taking D-rank missions in addition to our training." slightly winded after talking so much Kakashi finally finished with a "That's all, I'll see you all tomorrow, same time."

Leaping into the trees Kakashi began heading towards the Konoha hospital. There was one more person he needed to see before he could truly be done for the day. Naruto wouldn't be coming to training in orange anymore if he could help it.

* * *

VII.

* * *

Funny that most of the comments were on Kakashi for the last couple chapters... What does that say about authors when Kakashi having feelings is enough to make people say "Wow... that's new". I suggest a mass exodus to fully explore the silver-haired jonin's mind! Someone go, write! Your story awaits!

I'll admit my Kakashi is probably the biggest change in a character off the bat. That is mostly because I don't see him being able to convince himself to _not_ give these children he has become responsible for every advantage they can get. In cannon he is... not my favorite character... I kind of hate him. He ignores 2/3's of his team while preaching team-work and then goes from the super genius (graduate academy at like 7 or something, Anbu by 13, a legend by the time the cannon story starts) to not even as strong as the female student he FUCKING IGNORED! Like... wtf Kishimoto? Did Kakashi just give up on training period? If not how did a genius with 10+ more years of experience get overpowered by his students? Good manga, bad story. I've fixed one of the biggest problems I saw, namely he will be _teaching_... like he should have been from the start.

Also, the clone that puked (Senicard brought this up, thank you!): Follows my idea on the clones each having their own store of chakra and being able to use it to do stuff. The clones only dispell if they want to or run out of chakra. Getting hit requires they use a large portion of their chakra to maintain their form, this chakra would normally be better put to use in making more clones, thus why they dispell on impact most of the time. A little thing like some nauseua would normally be enough for the clone to decide to dispell (his effectiveness is severely reduced) but in this case the clone decided his continued existence could be a bigger benefit then returning the chakra he was burning. Don't expect clones to take stabs or walk around without limbs, but some minor discomfort they can shrug off pretty easy.

Anyway... more comments please =). these A/N are kinda fun to do.

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	8. Chapter 8

Another chapter incoming!

Talking/normal stuff

_Thinking/flashbacks/emphesis_

**Powerful entities/extra emphasis**

Still don't own Naruto.

* * *

VIII.

* * *

"I'm heading home." Sasuke stated as the silver-haired jonin disappeared.

"Don't forget you owe me six bowls of ramen!" Naruto called after the moving boy, but didn't move to stop him.

"You gonna head home as well Hinata?" the blonde continued, turning to face the quiet girl.

Blushing as she realized Naruto and herself were the only two on the hill-top Hinata forgot how to answer. Looking at her quizzically the blue-eyed boy shrugged.

"I'm gonna head out I suppose. I'll see you tomorrow though." turning away from his last team-mate Naruto felt the mask he had managed to hold for only a few minutes crumble.

Quickly striding into the comforting dark under the trees Naruto distanced himself from the hill-top before climbing into one of the towering giants. Sitting down on a larger branch he finally released his iron-like control over his body. Twinned sobs and screams of rage tore through his throat as he lashed out at the trunk next to him, his tiny fist _'cracking'_ under the pressure he put into the blow. Rage gone he cradled the splintered appendage as the tears kept falling, once loosed they came on in an unstoppable flood.

He couldn't understand _why_. He always took his stance and launched his attacks exactly as Mizuki had instructed him, yet Kakashi scorned his years of practice after mere moments as he simultaneously had praised Hinata and Sasuke!

"_I suppose that's part of having a family. Someone is always there to show you the next step._" the blonde thought bitterly.

"Why! Why is it always me!" he roared, ignoring the pain and slamming his broken hand against the tree again. Bloodied knuckles left a vivid streak along the bark as Naruto felt the delicate bones in his hand warp under the second blow.

Once again cradling the now definitely broken part of his body the boy began to rock back and forth, unable to contain the roiling emotions that spilled around and through him. The shadows twisted and morphed slowly as the seconds became minutes, and minutes finally became hours. He was aware of the changes, but couldn't do anything but rock and try to hold in his tears of frustration and pain.

"Why do I always have to be alone?" he finally whispered, staring at the now brown stain that he had created on the smooth bark.

"You _are_ in an unused training ground." a voice came from the tree across from him.

Almost snapping his neck trying to fix his gaze on the source of the voice Naruto finally felt his tears dry as he saw Iruka squatting across from him, concern was visible over his features. He was dressed in dark pants and a blue t-shirt with a tribal marking across the chest, his usual flack vest absent for the first time in years. The chunin still had visible scabs along his bared arms and Naruto could smell the hospital's sterile aroma clinging to him.

"Iruka!" nothing else mattered suddenly, someone had found him, come _looking_ for him.

"Hiya brother." Iruka said as he crossed over to sit next to Naruto. "How was your first day as a real ninja?"

Hanging his head the blonde tried to find the words to describe what a disaster he apparently was. It was hard, to be told so bluntly almost made him feel like Kakashi was picking on him.

"_Though he might know I'm the fox... That would explain a lot."_ Naruto realized. Finally turning to his former instructor Naruto inhaled and let all his grief out.

"I suck." he started, and as soon as the words started flowing the practically tripped over themselves to get out. "Kakashi says I'm the worst _taijutsu_ user he's ever seen and I'm stupid and don't act like a proper ninja. I can't be a normal ninja, if I'm quiet and stealthy and no-one ever sees me or what I'm doing how will they ever know I'm _not_ the Kuubi!" frustrated again Naruto almost tried to punch the tree again, but the clicking noises his hand made combined with the instant stab of pain made him whimper and clutch the battered appendage instead.

"WHAT!" Iruka roared, obviously displeased. "And what happened to your hand? Did Kakashi do that too? I'll beat his ass!"

Naruto, ashamed, quickly explained his injury was of his own making "I just swung a little too hard is all." and let the chunin examine the injury. Finding the bones were already setting Iruka speedily straightened the tiny bones and wrapped the boys hand expertly.

"We better head to the hospital." grabbing the blonde Iruka hopped down to the ground and started walking towards the building he had only recently vacated.

"I can walk Iruka!" Naruto stated indignantly, trying to wiggle free.

"You better start calling me your brother or I'll get upset." was all the chunin said in return.

"Fine! Brother will you _please _let me walk?" the blonde replied, practically dripping with tooth-rotting sweetness.

"That's better." the older ninja said, placing Naruto gently on his feet.

"Do I have too?" he asked after a moment.

"Call me brother? Yes." Iruka stoically replied.

"No... go to the hospital. I feel better I swear!" Naruto was pleading at this point.

"You just broke your hand! And are training tomorrow... If your teacher isn't found in the river..." Iruka's voice exploded, then dropped to a sinister hiss for his last statement.

"I want to learn from Kakashi though." Naruto replied.

"Why? He completely ignored all your good points!" Iruka said tensely.

"To be fair I'm on a team with Hinata and _Sasuke_." Naruto said the Uchiha's name with a little more venom then was strictly necessary. "They're like the top two in our class... maybe I really don't stack up in his mind."

"Your the only one in your class to win a real fight." Iruka countered, hoping the subject wouldn't disturb Naruto. "And I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you!"

Realizing his former teacher had a point Naruto refused to give in to the glittery hope yet. "I still suck."

"Stop, show me your stance. And for real Naruto." Iruka finally snapped back into 'teacher' mode.

Sighing Naruto did his best to take the basic stance Mizuki had shown him.

"I said for real! I never showed you that!" Iruka said harshly.

Confused Naruto retaliated, "Mizuki said this was a better stance!" stopping himself Naruto realized what he just said right before Iruka batted him lightly on the head.

"He also tried to kill us. Don't you think he might have sabotaged your training?" Iruka chided.

Nodding Naruto instead defaulted back to the style Iruka showed him his first year at the academy.

"Perfect." the chunin said after sliding one of Naruto's feet a few centimeters. "I'm kind of sad you think Mizuki could teach you something better then me."

"How was I suppose to know!" Naruto cried, punching at his new brother. "He told me it was way better then your kiddy technique!"

Batting aside the noticeably better punch Iruka slipped into the boy's space and put a finger on his nose, "Well how about you just forget everything he taught you and just use _my_ technique from now on? If Kakashi has a problem with that you tell him to come see me, I'll make sure he remembers I use to be on the fast-track to jonin as well!" half-turning Iruka stopped, then turned back and continued.

"Unless you think my technique is _kiddy_ as well, in which case I'll have to _educate _you right here and now." there was a light Naruto hadn't seen before in the man's eyes.

"Nononononono! I think its super awesome and the best technique _ever_!" the boy quickly expelled, sensing the specter of death backing off of him.

"Good. We'll have some spars tonight after we get your hand fixed." Iruka said with a smile, "I'll make sure your basics are still good then show you the _good_ stuff."

Suddenly excited Naruto grabbed Iruka's hand and began to skip. "Does that mean I get to sleep over too?"

"Actually... Naruto..." Iruka said, one hand creeping behind his head as he looked for the right words.

Suddenly darkening Naruto tried to let go of his teachers hand with a, "Or not, I still can't wait!" the fake grin ripped at Iruka's heart.

"Naruto. How would you like to stay at my house?" he said, turning to face the boy.

"Tonight? That would be awesome!" the real joy was back, lighting up his entire body with its warmth.

"How about... forever?" Iruka continued.

"Like... a week?" Naruto said, very confused.

"If you want. And you can stay the week after that, and the one after that, basically until you decide to move out." Iruka replied.

"What about my stuff?" the blonde queried, trying to puzzle the 'forever' part out.

"We can move it over tonight, or whenever you want. My place is a little under-furnished anyway." Iruka said.

"But the old man gave me an apartment already... I don't want him to feel like I don't appreciate it." Naruto said quietly, torn over what to do.

"Well how about we keep it, if you decide you don't want to stay with me anymore you could always move back. I also talked with the Hokage and he wouldn't mind at all if you moved in with me." Iruka reasoned.

"Really! If the old man doesn't mind I'll move in right now!" Naruto shouted, trying to form his hand-seal. Finding the motion difficult with his hand bound tightly the boy glared at the wrappings.

"Careful!" Iruka chided, grasping Naruto's uninjured hand in one of his own. "Let's get to the hospital first."

"Sure thing Iru... brother! Then we can stay up all night and play!" Naruto gleefully cheered, dragging his older sibling in the direction of the hospital.

Palming his face with his free hand, Iruka had silently hopped Naruto would be a little more low-key after training all day, but the boy's energy was still apparently boundless.

"_If you __**ever **__hurt him this bad again Kakashi, you and I will have another __**talk**__._" the chunin silently promised.

* * *

Hinata was walking on clouds. Her feet practically flying as she gleefully bounced through the forest with more wild abandon then the rest of her clan had combined. Today had been better then she could have possibly hoped. She had talked with Naruto! Even held a real conversation! Thanking whatever gods were watching over her today the Hyuga practically cheered.

She arrived home far to soon, and the intimidating gates of the Hyuga estate quickly subdued her enthusiasm. Slowing down to a walk Hinata masked what remained of her joy behind an acceptable Hyuga mask. Making sure her strides were neither to short (lazy) or to long (hurried) she glided towards her room. Before she could reach that sanctuary she was cut off by her father.

"I hope you didn't make a fool of yourself today." he stated coldly, obviously expecting the opposite.

"N-no father, K-kakashi-sensei only s-said I was s-slightly hesitant, h-he did praise m-my form. We a-also were the f-first t-team to pass his p-personal t-test." she replied quietly, hoping that would be enough to placate him.

"What rubbish, you are a Hyuga, Hinata. Why did you hesitate?" the taller man ruthlessly ignored her accomplishment in gaining Konoha's copy-ninja's approval.

"I-I..." unsure of how to describe her fear without making things worse for herself Hinata stumbled over her tongue.

"And as for your forms... How would a non-Hyuga know if they were acceptable or not! I have yet to see any such progress from you." suddenly frowning Hiashi glared at her.

"Your clothing is destroyed, I don't want to ever see you in anything of such poor taste again. However, I do want you to meet me at the dojo in ten minutes, I will see if your _sensei's _claims are true." spinning on his heel Hiashi gracefully moved away from the now trembling girl.

Terror coursed through Hinata as she finished the walk to her room. Quickly entering she torn the once comforting coat from her back, laying down on her bed she turned to her dresser and pulled a training uniform out. The light-weight and colored clothing was something she had come to fear over the years, as every time she put it on her father, cousin, or another relative would beat her till she couldn't fight back.

Slipping out of her sweat-stained pants and t-shirt and into the loose uniform Hinata took a moment to try and calm her breathing. In the mirror she could see her chest rising and falling rapidly, and there was desperation in her eyes. It hurt that these feelings were caused by her own family, the people she was closest to in the world were the biggest source of fear she had ever known.

Slipping out of her room the girl quietly closed the door and put on her mask again, hoping it would hold against her fear. The walk to the dojo took her five minutes, letting her arrive just seconds before Hiashi's time limit. Her father was there, kneeling quietly on a mat while he waited.

"G-good e-evening, F-father." she couldn't help but stutter every word, the fear that twisted and roiled in her belly removing all the control she had gained over the habit.

"Good evening." he replied formally, rising to his feet and leading her to the practice floor.

Turning in the center Hiashi took his stance, flowing into the Hyuga clan's forms with precision that none could hope to match. Hinata tried not to tremble as she copied the motion. Her fathers tightening jaw proved that she had not succeeded. Both father and Daughter proceeded to activate their blood-line.

Hiashi moved first, as always Hinata was reluctant to start the fight as she knew what waited at the end of it, and threw a perfect combo designed to immobilize her forward arm. Snaking the arm back quickly Hinata tried to gain some distance, remembered terror keeping her from even trying to attack the strongest Hyuga currently still living.

He was frowning now, and obviously not impressed as his hands quickly speared towards Hinata's vulnerable flesh yet again. Hinata tried to avoid it, but was too tired to completely avoid the attack. Her fathers powerful chakra strike knifed deeply into her right fore-arm, followed by a numbness that ran unchecked through her fingers. Stiflingly at whimper Hinata lashed out on reflex, her left hand effortlessly pushed aside by the master in front of her.

"Pathetic." he said, slamming his own hand into her left shoulder. A bright flash of pain followed by no sensation through her entire arm.

Effectively disarmed Hinata tried to come up with something, anything she could do to fight back. That was what he wanted from her, but with no weapons and the agonizing fear blocking her mind and motions Hinata could only weakly struggle as Hiashi shut down two-thirds of her chakra network with robotic precision. In two minutes her father had made it impossible for her to move either her arms or legs. Hiashi's long, deadly fingertips came to a halt just over Hinata's heart. The girl almost wished he hadn't stopped, she would do anything to escape those dead eyes.

"As I thought." he stated imperiously, turning away in disgust. "Your _sensei_ knows nothing of our ways and was obviously in awe of your _meager_ skills. I find you lacking yet again so starting tomorrow you will double your time training with Hoheto. He is far from a master yet will no doubt be able to teach _you_."

"T-thank you f-father." Hinata piteously replied, barely able to breath after her fathers assault.

Laying there Hinata wondered what she had done wrong. It hadn't always been this way, her mother had brightened the entire family. Or maybe she was just remembering her more fondly as the years went by. Unsure of what to think and unable to move Hinata felt the tears that fell from her eyes slowly drip to the floorboards under her head.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that she was held to these impossible standards, these mind-numbing formalities and appearances. All she wanted was to run through the woods, to pick flowers and preserve them, to laugh at one of Naruto's pranks and spend the day training in his company. She didn't want to be the Hyuga clan's heir, she didn't want to even be a Hyuga! Tears continued to fall as the girl silently waited for her body to respond.

"W-why do they exp-pect so m-much from m-me?" feeling a slight tingle that heralded the return of her motor functions Hinata painfully forced herself up.

"_It's not like I've ever met their standards."_ she thought quietly, trying not to fall over from the spinning sensation in her head.

Like almost any other day Hinata slowly, painfully worked her way back to her room. Shutting the door lightly she collapsed on her bed, to sore and tired to even remove the training garb. As the fire started to spread with the re-opening of her chakra-points Hinata whimpered and tried to ride out the storm, curling around the jacket that had been her companion for years. Stroking the soft fabric Hinata almost wished it hadn't been destroyed binding Naruto's wounds. But the boy was far more important then any coat, even this one.

Cradled by the jacket and her soft, comforting bed Hinata felt her body burn with pain. The heat filling the cool room as her mind slowly melted away into a peaceful, unfeeling sleep.

* * *

Opening her eyes to the darkness that consumed her room Hinata rolled over with a low groan to check the time. Finding that only a few hours had passed the petite Hyuga hugged her ragged coat and tried to will herself back to sleep.

After fifteen minutes Hinata decided she wasn't going to be able to sleep yet. Slipping her feet to the cold floor she debated what to do with the few remaining hours of daylight. Supper with her family was an ordeal Hinata was not prepared to face at the moment. Looking down at the shredded covering next to her an idea suddenly struck the small girl.

Easing herself to her feet and moving slowly to help keep the pain that still burned all over her body in check Hinata picked out a light yellow hoodie she hadn't worn since buying the now ruined coat. Slipping into the thin fabric and carefully pulling the hood over her head Hinata grabbed her coat and sneaked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Once in the hall Hinata moved as quickly as she could towards the main gate to the Hyuga compound. Several minutes later she was in front of the imposing doors and confronted, politely, by the guards.

"H-Hinata Hyuga, I was j-just going to d-drop my coat off at t-the tailor." she stuttered in response to their queries. The two branch family members nodded and told her to proceed before returning to their posts.

Free of the compounds oppressive air Hinata felt better almost immediately, even the pain running along her arms and chest seemed to lift. Setting a slightly quicker pace then was usually acceptable for a Hyuga of her station the dark-haired girl headed towards the shop she had be a loyal patron of since joining the academy.

Kazumi's shop was located just off the main business street of Konoha, a rather ideal location for a smaller, family operated store. Her stock was a mix of hand-made items, like Hinata's favorite coat, and fairly priced designer lines. Hinata had found the store before Kazumi had begun to carry the designer clothing and still believed Kazumi's hand-made products were of equal or better quality. The extra business she was able to make off of the pre-made items was far to lucrative to hold that against the owner though.

Kazumi herself was a handsome woman, with a slightly bold face and vibrantly dyed hair. She was tall, leggy, and also dressed to kill with class that could only be found in those who took a deep interest in understanding clothing and color theory. Rumors had gone around that her husband had tried to enroll in the ninja academy just so he could keep groping hands off his wife, not that she couldn't deal with them well enough on her own.

Turning down the familiar street Hinata's eyes opened wide as she recognized her academy instructor, Iruka, debating weather to enter the location. Happy to see the always caring teacher Hinata speed up even more until she was a few feet away.

"G-good afternoon, Iruka." she said, bowing slightly to the older man.

"Oh! Hello Hinata, good afternoon to you as well." he replied, turning to face her. "Do you happen to know this shop?"

"Of c-course!" Hinata cried, hoping to help her friends business, "This s-store is managed b-by Minkato Kazumi and h-her husband."

"Hmmmm... I can't say I know either of them personally but if your gracing them with your patronage the quality of their goods probably higher then I can afford." Iruka muttered, beginning to turn away.

"N-no! Kazumi h-has more then f-fair prices and a r-rather large stock." Hinata continued and was pleased to see Iruka turn to face the store once again.

"Do they carry boy's clothing?"

"Of c-course! Kazumi s-started her own l-line of b-boy's outfits once s-she got pregnant, she a-also carries a f-few brands that a-are quite p-popular!" the Hyuga bargined.

"And a pretty sales-woman to catch you on the street too, eh?" Iruka grinned and Hinata couldn't help but do so as well.

"I'll take a chance, now where did Naruto run off too?" her former teacher mumbled, looking around.

"N-naruto's here?" the shy Hyuga inquired.

"_Was_ here at least. Let me see if I can track his slippery hide down." Iruka stated.

Before the chunin could leave or Hinata could offer her assistance in locating the blonde there was a 'crash' in the alley nearby. Iruka quickly poked his head around the corner and then disappeared completely into the side-street.

"NARUTO! What are you doing?" Hinata could hear the 'teacher mode' in their former instructor's voice and cringed slightly.

"I was just trying a _replacement_ _technique _to jump move, don't get your panties in a twist brother." came the sunny blondes loud voice.

"Why here? There are plenty of perfectly good training grounds inside a five-minute walk." Iruka's voice was exasperated.

"_Brother?_" Hinata couldn't help but wonder, everyone, Naruto included, had said that the boy was an orphan with no family left. Yet here he was starting to call Iruka 'brother'. Contemplating what might have happened Hinata saw the bickering pair round the corner and head towards her.

"Oh! Hi there Hinata!" Naruto shouted as soon as a break in the argument gave him a second to realize who was around.

"H-hi." she squeaked in reply while blushing deeply.

"So, we're gonna take a look in here as well, alright Naruto?" Iruka said, putting a hand on the door before them.

"I still don't see why I need new clothes." the boy retorted, crossing his arms.

"Because you stand out _too_ much in the woods, because Kakashi requested I help you find a different wardrobe, and most importantly because _I_ said so." Iruka counted off the points with his fingers before pulling the handle in his grasp.

With a cheerful jingle the three ninja entered Kazumi's shop. There were several changing rooms spread throughout the decent sized building, and the majority of the remaining space was taken up with racks upon racks of multi-colored clothing. Denim, cotton, silk, and even chakra-laced threads any color one could think of hung in all their glory.

Looking over discreetly Hinata noticed Naruto's jaw was wide open and his eyes were light with wonder. It looked almost like he had never been inside a clothing store before.

"So... many... COLORS!" the boy cheered before racing down the center aisle grabbing items with wild abandon.

"Oi! Naruto be careful, you might break something!" Iruka roared before chasing after the giggling blonde.

Smiling as the boy slowed slightly, more because of the mountain of clothing in his arms then from their former teachers urging, Hinata almost forgot why she had been coming to see Kazumi in the first place.

"These are ALL the wrong size Naruto. Go look through that rack over there while I put these back." the chunin's voice drifted from behind a jumble of shirts he had liberated from the hyper boy.

"But I want some of those!" came a pouting reply.

"Then see if they have them in _your_ size, that rack." the dark-haired instructor refused to budge.

"Fine... I didn't really want them anyway."

"Naruto." there was a warning hidden in the older man's tone that finally sent the boy over to the boy's section.

Noticing she still hadn't moved Hinata jumped slightly before making her way to the counter at the back of the store. Kazumi wasn't in, but her assistant assured the girl that it would be perfectly fine to get the coat mended. Thanking the brown-haired girl with pretty amber eyes Hinata turned around in time to see Naruto exit the changing room.

Somehow the boy had gotten a hold of a purple bra and had it strapped over his ears, there was also a double XL dark-blue tee-shirt knotted around his throat. His normal orange jumpsuit was gone and in its place was a tie-dyed shirt and red-and-white checkered pajama bottoms. The boy had struck a pose immediately upon exiting the curtain, one hand on his hip and the other holding an imaginary sword.

"I'm the first Hokage! For Konoha!" he cheered playfully before jumping on Iruka's back.

"Look, look, look!" the boy chanted while scurrying all over the chunin, "You missed the best part brother!"

"Naruto..." Iruka quickly grabbed the blonde under his arms and held him as far out as he could.

"Why do you... how did... I give up." letting the boy down to once again race around the store Iruka palmed his face for a full minute.

"Right, Naruto!" he roared after he recovered, the boy instantly standing before him posing with hands on hips, "Take it off... all of it."

"What? I'm the Hokage!" Naruto pleaded.

"_Take it off!_" Iruka hissed.

"Fine... OH! I wanna try this one next!" not intimidated in the least the blue-eyed child snatched another set before disappearing into the curtain again.

"You can't train in a yellow t-shirt and skinny jeans!" as Iruka dived in after the boy Hinata heard the sound of a brief scuffle before the chunin re-appeared holding the garments in question in his hands.

"Just wait there, I'll grab something more appropriate."

"Fine, I'll just stand here naked then." was the pouting retort.

Hinata realized her ears were burning, actually her whole body felt like it was on fire. Not the type that came with training or injury, but the kind that only thoughts of Naruto could provoke, a delicious warmth that made the whole world seem bright and happy. Dipping her head Hinata tried not to think of how easily she could peek through the curtain. That thought sent her mind reeling and she barely caught herself before her head hit the floor.

"Are you ok miss Hyuga?" the assistant queried.

"F-fine, t-thank y-you." Hinata assured her.

Grabbing a seat on a near-by bench to avoid any more falls Hinata gave herself a good view of the three changing rooms Naruto was rapidly racing back and forth between to switch outfits. She saw more hats, shirts, pants, shorts, and cut-offs on Naruto in five minutes then there were in the entire academy during class. Finally the brothers decided on a uniform they both liked. When Naruto exited the curtain and Hinata had to admit Iruka knew how to dress.

Naruto's green and black goggles clung to his throat over the neck of a dark grey t-shirt. The shirt had a spiral design on the right side of his chest similar to the one that decorated his jumpsuits shoulder and back. As he spun Hinata caught sight of a similar pattern, though larger, splashed along his back, and the Konoha head-band that stood proudly on his right bicep. He wore a two-fingers thick belt with a double row of holes to hold a pair of large, faded black cargo shorts with extra large pockets beside his knees.

Adding a flash of color with a pair of thinner, holed orange belts that hung from right in front of his pockets and looped to fasten on the back behind his opposite hip, forming an X when she looked at the back of his legs. A sturdy pair of faded black combat boots covered his feet and finished the outfit.

"I definitely like this one Iruka!" Naruto shouted, admiring himself in the full-length mirror.

"Thank god, any longer and I was going to be insane." Iruka was gathering a few extra sets that he carried to the front counter.

"I don't know if I can..." the assistant started to form an excuse but caught sight of Hinata as she rose and started to approach the pair.

"I'll pay cash, so no worries about credit." Iruka smoothly covered the girls attempt to refuse Naruto's business.

"Of course." the brown haired girl said quickly typing on the register before giving the chunin the total.

"What do you think Hinata? Pretty freaking cool huh?" Naruto stated, barely able to hold himself from racing around the store again.

"Y-yeah, that l-looks really good o-on you." Hinata stuttered, flushing deeply.

"Sweet! Lets go Iruka, I still need to practice tonight." tugging on the chunin's hand Naruto dragged the man away almost before he could snatch the bag containing the extra clothes. "I'll see you tomorrow Hinata!"

Waving as her voice played hide-and-seek with her Hinata tried to control the wave of heat that poured off of her face. Thinking about practicing with Naruto tomorrow proved to be far to stimulating for her to get a hold of though. Turning to the racks Hinata debated getting some clothing for herself.

"_Maybe later, the coat repairs will take a decent portion of my allowance._" she finally decided, waving good-bye to the assistant she ran face-first into Kazumi as the larger woman briskly stepped into the store.

"S-sorry!" Hinata cried, rubbing her irritated nose.

"Why hello there Hinata!" Kazumi cried, wrapping the girl in a hug. "What brings you to my store tonight?"

"M-my coat got r-ruined during our training t-today." the Hyuga heiress explained.

"Well I'll be more then happy to fix it for you hunny." Kazumi stated, finally letting the girl stand on her own. "Since your here though, could I interest you in a new product I'm starting?"

"What kind of product?" Hinata asked, wondering what the woman was trying to expand her business with.

"It's a temporary tattoo!" Kazumi practically wiggled with joy as she pulled a sheet of paper and ink bottle out.

"Ummmm..." desperately thinking of how to say no politely, getting a tattoo was _definitely_ not going to put her any further in her fathers good graces, Hinata glanced at the floor.

"It's made with ninja in mind." the woman continued, grabbing Hinata's hand and dragging her to the back of the shop. "It's not just pretty, it also doubles as a temporary weapons seal."

Snatching up a nearby card-board tube Kazumi showed Hinata the various sizes that would be available. They ranged from just big enough to fit a few shurkien to having room left over after loading in a two-handed axe, long-staff, and a maul. Before Hinata could come up with her explanation Kazumi already had a design over her left and right wrists and was painting. Realizing it was too late to stop her Hinata instead activated her Byakugan to watch the process.

Kazumi was using a heavily chakra-laced, light-brown paint as well as feeding a fair amount of her own into the process. The delicate blue threads whirled and danced into beautiful twists of ink that lay along her wrists. Spell bound Hinata didn't even offer a token resistance until Kazumi laid down the brush and dusted her hands off.

"There, now I only gave you a small storage tattoo, you won't be able to put any long weapons in it but I'm sure you'll be able to carry far more shurkien and kunai then your little tool-pouch can handle. Remember to put weapons in or draw them out you just have to use a little chakra. The tattoo will fade off in three days if there isn't something inside of it so if you decide you don't want it anymore just leave them empty!" satisfied with her explanation Kazumi sat down like a cat with a bowl of cream.

Admiring the lines of the tattoo, a circle of ivy with leaves that budded into a rose on the bottom of her wrist, Hinata couldn't help but run her hands along the lines of ink that had already sunk into her skin.

"I've got lots of designs or you could even come up with your own if you like! Do you think I'll be able to snatch up a few more of you sneaky ninjas by offering these?" Kazumi asked, interrupting Hinata's examination.

"I-I love it! A-and extra storage f-for equipment is a-always h-helpful for ninjas!" Hinata replied after thinking for a moment.

"Wonderful, now be sure to spread the word hunny!" Kazumi reminded her as she escorted Hinata to the door. "I should have your coat done in a day or two, though when you come back I'll definitely try and get you into something more flattering."

Smiling at the woman's teasing Hinata said her goodbyes and started the walk home in a far better mood then she had been since arriving there after Kakashi's test. Almost feeling like whistling or humming Hinata restrained herself to just imagining the training they would do tomorrow. Realizing she had taken a wrong turn Hinata looked up and saw a suspiciously familiar pair of boys exit Ichiraku's ramen stand in front of her.

"I want more though! Two bowls isn't enough to train on brother." the wisker-marked blonde whined

"You should eat more then ramen Naruto, I'll make something when we get home." Iruka bargained.

"But... Hello again Hinata!" Naruto said as his whining was cut off when he spotted her.

"H-hi." she stuttered in reply.

"Interesting tattoo's Hinata, I didn't think you were the ink-loving type." Iruka said, slowing to include Hinata in the small pack as they walked down the street.

"Tattoo's?" the blonde said, looking the girl up and down.

"AH HAH!" he shouted, snatching up Hinata's hand as he spotted the light-brown circle.

"_Naruto just __**grabbed**__ my hand!"_ the world was spinning and Hinata felt like she was going to explode from happiness. As she drifted towards the ground Naruto moved one of his hands up to her back to keep her upright.

"Are you ok Hinata? And this is really cool! Where did you get it? Aren't tattoo's usually black?" Naruto was spitting questions as fast as he could while simultaneously keeping Hinata from falling and inspecting her tattoo's.

"F-fine." was all the Hyuga could manage to say without fainting from the blonde's proximity.

"I want one too brother!" Naruto said turning to Iruka.

"No." was all the chunin said, placing a hand against Hinata's forehead. "Are you ok Hinata?"

"J-just a little d-dizzy." Hinata replied.

"Well my... our place is right around the corner, how bout you take a rest there and then either myself or Naruto will walk you home?" Iruka asked.

Nodding Hinata managed to stumble the next couple blocks to a neat apartment complex. Iruka produced a key and led the pair of genin up to the second floor where he unlocked his room and waved them in.

The chunin's apartment was a decent sized two-bedroom with a kitchen/living-room and separate bathroom. Both bed-room doors were shut but there was several large carpets decorating the living-room and breaking up the hard wood floor. A comfortable couch and matching love-seat were set in an 'L' with a coffee table in front of them.

"Why don't you take a seat, I'll get some tea." Iruka said, pointing towards the couch as he stepped around the island that separated the kitchen from the living-room.

"O-ok." Hinata said, grateful to be off her feet with Naruto so close.

Sitting gracefully on the couch Hinata tried to watch Iruka make the tea, but her eyes kept darting back to the blonde that had sprawled himself out on the love-seat. Finding her fingertips forming an increasingly familiar arch Hinata quickly dropped them to her lap, while ducking her head to hide a blush.

"So when should we move my stuff in brother?" Naruto asked, leaning far enough over the arm to look towards the kitchen up-side down.

"We'll handle that tomorrow if you don't mind crashing on the couch for the night." the chunin replied.

"Y-your moving?" Hinata asked, very curious about the described situation.

"The old man said I could live with Iruka! It's gonna be like a sleep-over every night forever!" the blonde said, sitting up and grinning widely.

Hinata sat very still for a moment, both because she was incredibly happy for Naruto, and jealous of him at the same time. It wasn't fair that he got a happy, loving brother when her own family seemed to take joy in beating her, but the heiress quickly squashed the feeling because she knew Naruto deserved far better then to be living on his own.

"T-thats wonderful Naruto!" she finally managed to say.

"Indeed, I don't know why I didn't try to take him in before. Here you go kids." Iruka stated as he set a steaming cup before both Hinata and Naruto.

Wrapping her hands around the warm cup Hinata took a delicate sip of the amber liquid. Surprised at the pleasing taste of chai that clung to her taste-buds. It was far bolder than anything her own family would serve and warmed her insides nicely.

"T-this is really g-good teacher!" she expelled, hugging the cup closer.

"Why thank you, Hinata. I'm quite pleased to hear my tea is up to your standards." Iruka was smiling to keep any hint of mockery from reaching the shy, easily intimidated Hyuga.

"I can't wait any longer, can I start moving now?" Naruto practically shouted, hopping up from the couch with his emptied cup.

Sighing Iruka nodded and started to rise from the seat he had just taken.

"Don't worry brother, I can handle it." the boy said, waving the older man down before forming a tiger seal.

"_Shadow clone!"_ he shouted and both Iruka and Hinata felt the surge of his chakra, a second later there was a pack of Naruto's who exited the building from both the window and door, leaving just one blonde who took his seat on the couch again.

"I'll be moved in before you know it." the boy stated smugly.

Feeling suddenly out of place in the warm environment Hinata dropped her head to stare into the semi-translucent liquid that trembled in her hands. She couldn't catch her breath, and almost missed Iruka's next question.

"How soon do we need to get you back to the Hyuga compound Hinata?"

"_Never would be fine._" the small statement flickered in the back of her head for a moment before the shy girl placed her cup on the table.

"I-I should r-really be g-going." bowing slightly she raced to the door and started to pull on her sandals.

"Right, make sure she gets home alright brother." the older man said, pointedly looking at the blonde still sprawled on the loveseat.

"But we were gonna train!" the smaller male retorted.

"Naruto, it is good manners to walk a lady home. Also, how horrible would you feel if something happened to your new teammate on her way home and you could have been there to stop it?" the chunin replied, still glaring at his new family member.

"Oh... I would feel really bad!" instantly on his feet Naruto warped to the door before Hinata finished getting her sandals on.

"I'll be your escort tonight Hinata! So you don't have to worry about anything." blushing deeply at the boy's loud proclamation Hinata let him open the door for her and walked out in a daze.

As the door shut behind them, cutting off the warmth and light that spilled from Naruto's new home, Hinata suppressed a shiver at the rapidly darkening sky. Naruto was already half-way down the stairs and waved his arms to urge her along. Carefully descending the steps to join the blonde at the base of the stairs Hinata focused on controlling her breathing to avoid fainting. Naruto began to whistle quietly, hands behind his head, while leading the way back to the main street.

"Which way?" he asked as they set foot on the brightly lit road.

"L-left." she managed to stutter out without any repercussions, the boy nodded and began to amble in the indicated direction.

The teens continued their walk in a slightly uncomfortable silence, only broken by a few queries from the blonde as to their direction. Five minutes later Hinata heard a familiar voice pierce the crowd.

"Told you! Take that Shikamaru. Hey Naruto, Hinata!" Kiba's rough tone drew both genins gaze to where he pushed through the growing crowd with Akamaru at his heels, a unenthusiastic Nara trailing slightly behind the pair.

"Hey Kiba." Naruto replied, rotating to face the Inuzuka.

"Nice threads Naruto! So what are you two doing out so late at night... _together_?" the brown-haired boy said suggestively, instantly causing Hinata to flush a deep red and duck her head.

"I'm just walking Hinata home is all." Naruto stated, suspicion painted on his face.

"Coming back from a date?" the taller boy continued to pry.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru said quietly

"N-no! I just... we just... kinda met up at the store, why would you think we were on a _date_?" Naruto sputtered.

Finding her heart twisting slightly at just how incredulous Naruto found the thought of dating her Hinata nodded and tried to add her own two-cents, however her still vibrant blush seemed to burn the words out of her mind.

"What store?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't know... some clothing shop just off the main drag." Naruto informed the lazy boy.

"K-kazumi's." Hinata managed to slip the store owners name out.

"Haven't heard of it... sounds more like a restaurant to me." Kiba continued remorselessly.

"Kazumi's shop is pretty nice, Kazumi is a little... much." Shikamaru stated, "When did you get the tat's Hinata?"

Kiba immediately did a double-take of the small girl and attempted to repeat Naruto's reaction. As his hand reached for Hinata's it was intercepted by Hinata's self-proclaimed escort. There was a second of struggling for dominance that Naruto managed to squeak out of as the winner.

"Jeez, don't get so worked up man, I'm not gonna take your girl." Kiba teased, "I just wanna see that tat!"

"She's not my girl!" Naruto retorted vehemently, "And you could _ask_ Hinata to show them instead of just getting all grabby."

"He's getting protective." Shikamaru moaned, drawing another squawk from the blonde.

Trying to defuse the situation, if only to have Naruto stop crushing her fragile hopes, Hinata lifted the sleeves on her hoodie enough to display the looping colors along her wrists. Both the newcomers proceeded to make the customary "Oooh's" and "Ahhh's". Even Akamaru seemed to find the designs worth noting as the puppy yipped until Kiba picked him up so the animal could inspect Hinata's wrists.

"Didn't expect that." Shikamaru stated after looking over the tattoo's.

"Right? Must be Naruto rubbing off on her, soon she'll be running all over town dropping paint on people right beside him." the Inuzuka chortled to himself, blushing deeply again Hinata ducked her head as Naruto tried to defend his bachelor status.

"We gotta get going, Hinata needs to get home." the blonde was getting desperate to escape, his body twitching.

"Oooooo! Naruto's walking her home just like a gentleman... wait... " after a brief pause Kiba looked at his partner in shock before shouting, "Shikamaru! Grab him, someone's pretending to be our local idiot!"

The brown-haired boy proceeded to wrap himself around the blonde, still shouting for his associates assistance, while the Akamaru sneaked between Naruto's legs to trip the pair into the dusty road. The Nara just shook his head and muttered "Troublesome",while Hinata rolled her sleeves back down and tried to think of how to get the two scuffling boys apart.

"OI! Get off me, stupid dog." Naruto cursed, shoving Kiba's face away from him and holding Akamaru at bay with the other. "You got my new shirt all dirty you mutt!"

"What was that dead-last?" Kiba retorted, still wrestling in a friendly manner with the roaring blonde.

After a few more seconds Naruto managed to wriggle free from the Inuzuka duo and jump to his feet. Grabbing Hinata's hand the boy dragged her quickly away before either of the other genin could catch them. Perfectly content to let the boy lead her, and unable to think straight with his warm fingers wrapped around her own, Hinata focused on the flashing street-lights to avoid passing out.

Naruto finally released her hand, oblivious to the barely audible whine from Hinata as their hands unlinked, in an alleyway before peeking back out the entrance to ensure they hadn't been followed. Hinata, feeling suddenly light-headed, leaned against a wall and tried to control her rapid breathing.

"Wheew, I think we lost them." the boy said after a moment, turning back to face her. "I'm really sorry about that, I already got something planned for Kiba. He'll never make fun of you like that again."

"I-it's ok, I d-don't m-mind." Hinata stuttered, still trying to stop her staggered breathing.

"Are you tired?" Naruto inquired.

Hinata nodded as she did feel absolutely exhausted from the multiple training sessions, emotional roller-coaster, and recent dash for freedom.

"Hungry?" the boy continued.

Suddenly feeling very shy Hinata shook her head no, just as her traitorous stomach decided that very moment to act up.

"Reeeeeallly?" the blonde said, drawing closer to her.

"M-maybe a l-little." she replied in a whisper, closing her eyes as she expected a jab at her weight.

"Great! I'm _starving_, lets gab some ramen!" smiling brightly Naruto started for the opposite end of the alley, unsure of where she was Hinata could only follow.

"Ichiraku's is just down this street!" Naruto stated, looking each way cautiously before exiting the alley. A few moments, and turns, later the pair had reached Naruto's favorite ramen stand.

"Hey! Gimme two seafood specials!" Naruto bellowed as he launched under the hangings and onto a stool.

"Welcome back Naruto, I didn't think we'd see you again tonight." the owner said with a bright smile.

"Whatcha want Hinata?" the boy said, turning to face her where she had paused in the doorway.

"Ooooo, welcome to Ichiraku's! Naruto, where did you find this little cutie?" Ayame gushed, racing around the counter and gently guiding the genin to the seat beside the blonde.

"She's my team-mate! Hinata's really good, she even managed to hit our jonin instructor!" the boy praised, his comments almost sending Hinata into oblivion as half her blood rushed to her face.

"Pretty and packs a punch, definitely a keeper." the brown-haired cook replied, winking at the boy.

"They don't change ninja teams so of course I'm gonna keep her." Naruto commented, missing the innuendo completely.

Half an inch before hitting the counter Hinata managed to recover, quickly asking for a menu to hide her beet-red face behind. Ayame continued her prodding of the blonde but Hinata missed the rest of their conversation as the blood rushing behind her ears drowned everything out. After Naruto received his order Hinata finally managed to squeak out one of her own, a small seafood ramen, that appeared before Naruto had even finished breaking apart his chopsticks.

"Sooooo." Ayame whispered in Hinata's ear, glancing conspiratorially at the blonde before continuing, "Do you like Naruto?"

Unable to blush any redder Hinata ducked her head and tried to focus on her food. It wasn't polite to ask that sort of question during a meal, at least that was her excuse for not answering. The cook simply giggled and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder before hurrying to another customer. Finally free of rabid gossip hounds and cooks Hinata tried to focus on the food before her, a quick peek left her open-mouthed in awe as Naruto consumed a bowl three-times the size of her own in the space of time it had taken her to break her own chopsticks apart.

"This is even better then usual!" Naruto stated as he set the first bowl down and hungrily reached for the second, "You should try it Hinata."

Delicately lifting a couple strings of thin noodles Hinata imitated the majority of the stands customers instead of the bottomless ramen-pit beside her and quietly slurped the strands. Warm noodles coated in steaming broth caused her eyes to widen and her stomach to burble impatiently for more. In a few moments Hinata forgot all about eating perfectly as a Hyuga and was happily schlurping large bites of noodles down, though still no-where near as fast as her escort.

"Isn't ramen the best!" Naruto said, fixing her with a goofy grin as he laid down his second over-sized bowl.

"That w-was excellent." Hinata admitted after finishing the last of her own broth and setting the bowl next to the blondes.

"Right, well I'm totally recharged, you ready to get home?" he asked, leaning back with a happy sigh.

Nodding Hinata followed the blonde as he hopped to his feet, threw a few bills on the counter next to their bowls and headed out of the shop. The rest of the walk back to the Hyuga compound was uneventful, and far to short for the heiress. As the gates came into sight she turned to her companion and bowed slightly.

"T-thank you f-for b-bringing m-me home." she stuttered, trying not blush.

"You live here?" Naruto asked, looking at the store Hinata had stopped in front of.

"N-no, over there." she said while pointing at the sprawling Hyuga compound.

"Well we aren't there yet, I can't let anything happen to you." Naruto stated and started to march towards the gate.

"W-wait!" Hinata said, reaching out to grab his shoulder. Stopping the boy looked back at her inquisitively.

"M-my... F-father would be u-upset if he saw u-us... t-together." hating to stop the boys gallant actions Hinata only managed to explain because she knew how enraged her father would be to see her with any boy, much less Naruto.

"But... Aren't we a team?" Naruto retaliated quietly, his eyes losing their warmth and his smile suddenly becoming brittle and fake.

Unsure of what to say Hinata simply stood there, one hand on Naruto's shoulder, and watched his body slowly twist away and tighten. Like something was sucking the playfulness, energy, and happiness out of him. Unable to take it Hinata blurted the first explanation she could.

"H-he doesn't w-want me to b-be out with b-boys. I'll be p-punished if h-he sees us." unsatisfied Naruto sighed and turned back towards her.

"Well I'll watch from here then I suppose." he said.

"Y-you don't have t-to." Hinata said quietly, blushing.

"I'm not leaving till your inside." was the stoic reply.

He was still upset, she could see it in his stance and the tension that ran through his body when he leaned against a wall and fixed his gaze on the gate. Feeling guilty about leaving him alone Hinata tried to think of how to cheer him back up.

Before she could convince herself not too the girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders and whispered in his ear.

"T-thank you, for w-walking me home, and d-dinner." before the boy could respond Hinata had released him and was sprinting towards the gate, face glowing and mind going over the feel of his shoulders again and again.

As the guards let her back in she looked over her shoulder and saw the boy's silhouette still leaning against a shadowed wall, the orange belts hardly visible. His arm raised in a wave before the shadowy figure disappeared completely into the dark.

* * *

VIII.

* * *

More laid back fluffy stuff.

Iruka cannot take Kakashi in any sense. He makes the statement more for Naruto's benefit then out of the belief he would survive a fight with Kakashi. As Naruto's guardian he does have the right to argue with Kakashi about his training methods so that would be the route he would probably take.

Hiashi is very arrogant, but his comments are more from him not seeing Hinata's potential. Kakashi without the sharingan would kill him. With it Hiashi would be humiliated. On the other hand Kakashi would be fighting not only Hiashi, but his whole clan and their influence in Konoha, thus a straight up fight would not be a prudent course of action.

Questions/comments are always appreciated!

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	9. Chapter 9

Yay, more stuff to read!

Normal talking will be like this.

_A full sentence of italics represents thoughts_

Using italics on one or two words in a sentence is for _emphasis!_

**A full sentence of bold is for beings of extreme power (Gods/Demons).**

A single word that is bold and Italicised is for extra **_emphasis_**!**  
**

If you come up with a way for poor, broke me to get the rights to Naruto I'd love to hear them. Until then I don't own anything.

* * *

IX

* * *

The dark wrapped around him, hiding him far better then before in his darker color scheme. Flickering shadows and their bright counterpart danced at the end of the alley, but Naruto didn't move towards the light. His mind was in a state of confusion, so much so that the boy didn't know if he could handle being around other people at the moment.

There was a phantom clinging to him. Slender arms wrapped weightlessly around his neck and shoulders, holding itself against him as he felt the slightest movement of the air near his ear.

"_Thank you_." it whispered.

He had almost lashed out when Hinata suddenly flung herself at him, scared that his team-mate was attacking him. But before he could settle on a course of action she had been around him, holding him tightly, but not painfully in a physical sense. Naruto couldn't settle his rolling emotions, part of him enjoyed it, a touch that hadn't hurt him. She was the second person to hug him, at least from what he could remember of his hazy past, to come into contact with his flesh while _not_ trying to do harm. He had no explanation, no memories to fall back on, no previous experiences of how to react to the tender gesture. He heard a deep, rumbling voice in the back of his mind laughing.

All to soon he was standing before a familiar apartment, but once he opened the door and saw the dark and pillaged living room he remembered. He didn't live here anymore.

Walking slowly into the almost pitch-black house the boy reached for anything familiar. The pots were gone from their hooks, the back of the rickety couch didn't meet his groping fingers. It was empty, and didn't even feel like it was his anymore. Shuffling through the oppressive dark Naruto felt a small flash of pride at how thoroughly his clones had been.

Returning to the door and swinging the portal open he looked back, the living room was barely illuminated from the streetlights around the corner. Soaking in one last look at the place that had been his home for eight years Naruto smiled bitterly.

"I'll be going then."

Leaving, racing forward towards a goal that others mocked and told him was impossible, to far to reach. But he wasn't the boy they had laughed at and jeered towards any more. He was a ninja, the first step on the path and already further than many expected. He was changing, growing, and it was only fitting that he move on past the empty, lonely room he had cried himself to sleep in far to often.

Letting the door shut behind him and breathing in the chill air Naruto broke into a smile as he leaped towards his brothers apartment. Iruka had promised to show him more forms, and after walking Hinata home the boy was more then ready to drown his emotional turmoil under hours of physical torture.

He could handle that, the burn that settled into his muscles after going over a form again and again. The sweet ecstasy that came knowing he had grasped the movement of a particular style. The way he could let his mind focus completely on guiding his limbs exactly how they should. In contrast emotions were too messy and difficult to grasp or deal with.

After a few moments the boy landed lightly outside the door to his new home. A fresh start for him, along with his new clothes, new teacher, new team-mate, and old rival. His grin only grew bigger as he pushed open the door and saw Iruka had already cleared a space in the living room and had changed into a set of light, billowy training clothes.

"Welcome home, Naruto." he said, standing up and motioning the boy in. "Are you ready to get started?"

"Hell yes!" the boy shouted.

* * *

Slapping a hand on the alarm as it's first 'Beep' sounded through his room Sasuke, already dressed and prepared, slipped out of his apartment and headed for the bridge they had been forced to wait at yesterday for their sensei.

Hoping that Kakashi would demonstrate some professionalism and arrive on time the Uchiha noted he was once again the first to arrive. He was always the first, since his brother had turned traitor and fled. He tried to deliberately forget that Hinata had been the first to actually land a blow on their mutual teacher. Failing that he settled for being the genius behind her success.

Leaning against the railing Sasuke felt his mind returning, as always, to the past. The warmth of his mother, the pride he felt every time he gained his fathers approval, the simple joy of having Itachi there to learn from. The thought of his brother pulled up another, far more miserable memory. The feeling of his kind, loving brother slipping knife after knife into his skin. For three days he had endured it, the helplessness of watching the brother who meant more to him than anyone cut him over and over as he pleaded and begged for it to stop. Itachi had ignored him, his siblings face grim and hungry as he chained Sasuke inside a _genjutsu_ that made three days of torture occur in seconds.

He was going to kill Itachi. Kill the man who had fooled everyone with his faked smiles, faked love, and faked care. Sasuke had seen the true Uchiha Itachi that night, the man who slaughtered his entire family just to test his limits. He was a monster in human skin, so Sasuke was determined to become a monster as well. One who would destroy the beast who took everything from him but his life.

Noticing his hands were clenched tightly the genius forced himself to relax. The first step to his goal would be learning everything Kakashi had to teach, to draw every technique and form he could from the near-legendary ninja. Maybe then he would be strong enough to face his brother.

He saw the Hyuga girl approaching, her steps light and delicate as always, the grace that Hyuga's instilled their clan with since birth obvious. Her normal bulky coat was gone, replaced by a grey zip-up hoodie that looked almost too small, the skin of her wrists was exposed for the first time in a few years.

Hinata was a pretty thing, dark hair and milky skin, delicate features that promised beauty once she matured, but he didn't have time for such things. Her infatuation with Naruto and her clan were enough for him to remove her from his potential list of wives. The Uchiha would be _revived_, not swallowed by their rivals the Hyuga. Though even his clan's survival was only a secondary concern for the avenger.

"H-hello." she stuttered, one of her few physical defects.

"Hmm." he replied with a short grunt, not feeling like talking and knowing she wouldn't try to start a conversation, something more girls their age should focus on doing.

As almost always he was right, she squatted on the opposite side of the bridge and leaned against the red-painted wood, looking about for a certain blonde occasionally. He caught a few light blushes on her cheeks from time to time as they waited for their last two team-members, no doubt thinking about the idiotic blonde.

Naruto was... different, from the rest of their class. He was loud, argumentative even with his superiors, but above all refused to back down. If Sasuke had any one good thing to say about the boy it was his spirit, despite his lack of form or techniques no one else could match the boy when it came to sheer determination to succeed, except of course for Sasuke himself.

He actually reveled in the boys challenges, even as he won almost effortlessly it made his palms sweat and heart race that the boy would always be back. Always with a new plan, always with a different approach. Naruto's futile efforts to beat him none the less kept him sharp, reinforcing that he always had to ready for anything. The best was only a title you got by constantly holding it and defeating all challengers, there was never time to rest, never time to get complacent when people were after you.

Naruto was always there any time he thought he had gotten strong, and every time Sasuke found himself fighting harder then he should have to. It drove him, almost as much as the thought of his brother, he was the best and no-one would take that title from his living hands, certainly not one brash blonde.

As if thinking about him had summoned the boy Naruto dropped out of the nearby trees and ambled up to the bridge, yawning. Checking his watch Sasuke sighed. While not as bad as their instructor Naruto was still late. Though Sasuke noted his new attire, which was far more suitable for their job then his signature orange jump-suit.

"Morning." the boy said, hand still over his mouth as he sprawled against the wooden rails, avoiding looking at the girl who's face had gone bright red the moment he appeared.

"Your late." not really knowing why he bothered Sasuke never the less spoke to his companion.

"You see Kakashi?" the boy replied, leaning his head back and glaring out of one eye.

Grunting again Sasuke turned back to the water below him.

"Then I aint late yet." the boy continued. "Wake me up when he gets here." thirty seconds later the other genin heard his breathing slow in the thralls of the boys dreams.

"Lazy idiot." Sasuke muttered.

"H-he was t-training with Iruka l-last night." Hinata quietly mentioned after a few more minutes.

The idiot, training with someone besides their assigned teacher? The black-eyed boy almost didn't believe it. Since it was Iruka though, who he noticed had a soft spot for the blonde, Sasuke gave his team-mate the benefit of the doubt.

Two hours later Sasuke turned around just as the silver-haired jonin landed in the middle of the three genin. Throwing a small pebble at the blondes head to wake him, noting it failed the older boy slouched over and smacked him on the head.

"Oi!" instantly awake Sasuke swayed back to avoid a flickering jab, noting with surprise that Naruto had switched to using Iruka's preferred _taijutsu, Swirling Leaf_,instead of his own seemingly made up one.

"Kakashi's here." keeping it simple for the dense blonde Sasuke turned back to face their teacher.

"Well now that everyone is conscious..." the jonin stated, pulling a small packet of paper from one of his pouches. "I'd like you all to take a sheet of this paper."

As each of the three genin took a sheet of the small paper from the booklet in Kakashi's hand they all exhibited different effects.

"Lightning, and fire." Kakashi said as Sasuke's paper crumpled in his hand before lighting on fire.

"Water and earth." he continued as Hinata's slip wilted under its waterlogged weight then crumbled into soggy pieces.

"Wind... and water." he finished as the group watched Naruto's split evenly down the center before drooping as Hinata's had.

"Those are your primary and secondary affinities, though I suspect none of you will be particularly strong with your secondary as of this moment." the jonin said, slipping the booklet of chakra papers back into his pocket.

"Let me do it again Sensei!" Naruto shouted, "I wanna get fire!"

Palming his face Sasuke didn't even bother to listen as Kakashi explained that affinities weren't something you picked or got, they were what you naturally would use best. After a few minutes of pouting the blonde gave up and let Kakashi continue.

"Lightning is good for offense and defense at short ranges, Wind is strongest at attacking in short or medium ranges. Water is perhaps the most versatile of the elements for fluid transitions between offense or defense at multiple ranges, Fire is strong for mid to long range attacks, and finally Earth is best for defensive or impairing techniques. However having an affinity doesn't mean you can't use other elements, it only means that you will be naturally stronger with those that you have a natural affinity with." Kakashi explained while turning and waving for the trio to follow him.

"Now that I know what your affinities are I can start each of you a list of techniques that will compliment your fighting styles and positions, you'll start learning them after a few days of demonstration and instruction on your _taijutsu_." stopping in a sunny clearing Kakashi turned to face his followers.

"Sasuke, your instructor in the Uchiha clan techniques for today is myself, I'm afraid some... complications arose. I am more then proficient enough to train you for now though."

Considering for a moment Sasuke decided it was possible that the 'Copy Ninja' could have a working knowledge of his families styles. That didn't mean he was a master though, and the black-haired boy was hell-bent to prove that.

"Shall we spar then, Sensei? _Crow's Flight_ style?" he inquired, picking on of the forms he knew best.

"A good choice, even if it is still a building block to _Waltzing Crow_." the silvered jonin replied. "Give me a moment to get Hinata and Naruto started as well and I'll be more then happy to fully test your progress."

It was much easier to believe that the older man had witnessed, or at least heard of the Uchiha's styles now. _Waltzing Crow _was not well known and Sasuke only knew of his brother and father being true masters of the forms. He didn't like to admit it, but he had yet to even feel proficient with them yet.

"Hinata, I want you and Naruto to practice climbing trees till I'm ready to test you as well." Sasuke heard the jonin state.

"What the hell! I can already climb perfectly fine, look!" Naruto roared, quickly scaling into the upper branches of a nearby tree.

"Quite quick, however..." Kakashi said, walking slowly up to the same tree. "I meant for you to climb it without using your hands."

"Fine." the blonde stated, hopping out of the tree.

Bracing himself Naruto leaped into the air, almost high enough to land among the lowest boughs. Cursing he landed, crouched in preparation, and fell over as Kakashi put a hand on his head.

"Like this." the jonin stated, placing one foot onto the trunk.

"No... freaking... way." Naruto stated in disbelief as the jonin casually walked up to the top of the tree, at a ninety-degree angle from the trunk the whole time.

"That's not possible, what kind of tool are you using?" the boy continued as their instructor returned to the grass.

"Do you remember the exercises you preformed in the academy that involved picking something up with chakra?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke saw Hinata nod while Naruto blushed slightly and looked away.

"The principal behind this exercise is the same. You will produce a small amount of chakra, then hold yourself to the tree with it. Then you will do the same for your next foot, and finally release the first foothold so you can continue to climb." demonstrating each step of the process Kakashi directed Naruto and Hinata to different trees, though both within a few feet of the other.

"If you put too much chakra into your step you'll be unable to touch the tree, too little and you won't be able to hold your weight." the jonin said, finally turning and ambling back towards Sasuke.

"You'll be joining them when we finish." he said before slipping into the first stance of _Crow's Flight_.

Looking over his teacher carefully Sasuke grimaced. Kakashi held his body perfectly, arms out to the sides and bent at the elbows towards his chest, one foot slightly behind the other and shoulder-width apart. He also did it with practiced ease that Sasuke was certain he himself hadn't reached yet.

Bowing slightly Sasuke took his own stance before launching a controlled attack. Focusing more on his technique then speed or power. Kakashi smoothly raised an arm to slip the attack around him before sending the second towards Sasuke's stomach. Noting that the jonin was also moving fairly slow the black-eyed boy brought his defending hand down to knock the attack away. They continued to trade blows, slowly increasing the pace of their hands till they began to blur.

Finally one of Kakashi's attacks slipped through his tight defense and Sasuke stumbled back slightly. Cursing he switched from _Crow's Flight_, to _Dancing Fire_, his instructor simply shifted his own stance to match.

_Crow's Flight_ was a defensive beginners style, focusing mostly on shifting aside blows without having to move and keeping a solid base for its few strikes. _Dancing Fire_ on the other hand, was a far more advanced style that focused on constant offensive movement to avoid strikes and set up the opponent for his own attacks. It also included kicks, something that _Crow's Flight_ was sadly lacking.

Slowly circling each other Sasuke was the first to attack, spinning as he launched a foot towards the jonin's head. As expected the attack was avoided, Kakashi was sticking to just _Dancing Fire_, which did not incorporate many blocks. Continuing his rotation even as he fell Sasuke drew his outstretched leg and extended the other, trying to catch his Sensei's ankles with a sweep.

The jonin lithely stepped over Sasuke's leg and brought his knee up towards the boy's face. Seeing the danger the Uchiha dropped his forward shoulder and used the momentum from his attacks to roll to safety. Holding back anger that someone knew his preferred style better then himself, and a smile at finding someone who was finally a challenge, Sasuke regained his feet and threw himself towards the advancing jonin.

The best way to get stronger was to fight, to bleed, to struggle, and to feel your blood pounding along it's endless track as adrenaline sharpened your thoughts. Kakashi was going to make him stronger, Sasuke was sure of it, his thundering heart beat confirmation enough.

* * *

"Right, well I suppose we better get on with this silly exercise then." Naruto said as Kakashi and Sasuke began their spar, not noticing the Hyuga heiresses blush when he spoke to her.

"So... uh... Focus your chakra." he mumbled to himself, mentally picturing a fire burning in his belly.

Dragging a whisper of flames from the center of himself Naruto directed the energy towards his feet. He could feel the energy dissipating, portions escaping his control and either returning to their home or winking out of existence. None the less he managed to collect a handful along the bottom of his right foot.

"Right, now step onto the tree, nice and easy." he continued to talk, mostly to avoid forgetting any of Kakashi's meager advice.

As his foot neared the trunk Naruto began to feel resistance, stubbornly refusing to believe the tiny amount of chakra he was using was too much. After a few minutes he realized the bark under his foot was beginning to flatten slightly and the boy slumped back with a defeated sigh.

"Well I guess it really doesn't take much chakra at all." he stated, looking over at his quiet team-mate, choosing to ignore the multitude of questions he had for her, most notably "_Why did you hug me?_".

She was trying not to look at him, though every time she did a light blush was covering her cheeks and the girl would quickly look away, usually to their currently sparring teacher and team-mate. Her hands had also formed a small bridge that swayed back and forth.

"_She looks almost like Sakura when she's looking at Sasuke..."_ he thought glumly.

Why wouldn't Hinata like Sasuke, he was smart, talented... and a freaking EMO GOTH! Slapping his cheek Naruto instantly brought himself back to reality. Sasuke just had a bit of a head start, Naruto was going to be the strongest ninja in Konoha, become the Hokage, and gain everyone's respect. Then it wouldn't be Sasuke getting those glances, though the blonde couldn't say exactly why it mattered so much to him.

"Shouldn't you be doing this too?" he asked innocently, almost laughing at the horror-stricken face Hinata suddenly wore.

"S-sorry." she said, quickly rising to her feet and approaching her own tree.

Shaking his head Naruto decided to get back to training as well, resolutely ignoring his flood of questions for the girl. Repeating the process of drawing chakra from his body and condensing it around the bottom of his foot, making sure to reduce the amount he had used. Sure enough, he got closer, but was still almost a full inch from being able to plant his foot on the bark.

Snarling Naruto released the energy, and looked over at his partner. Hinata was hanging perpendicular to the trunk, three feet off the ground. Staring open-mouthed Naruto saw her concentrate before taking another step. As her back foot came off the tree however, her leading foot started to slip. Suddenly windmilling her arms Naruto saw Hinata start to fall despite trying to recover her grip, and also noted a pair of largish rocks in her imminent landing zone.

"_Crap, can't have her breaking her head open._" the boy thought, Hinata's tenuous grip on the tree letting her hang long enough for the blonde to slide under her as she fell.

Groaning slightly as one small elbow dug deeply into his shoulder and one of the rounded rocks dug into his spine Naruto started to get back to his feet. Hinata had decided to freeze up completely though, stalling his attempts to climb to his feet. Looking at the back of her head Naruto lightly poked her side while saying "Hey."

She was tense, but somehow clenched her muscles even tighter as his finger drifted along the side of her ribs. Naruto could have swore he heard something along the lines of a laugh escape his captor as well. Only able to see the slender blue-black strands of hair that decorated her head Naruto couldn't see if she was upset or not.

"Hey!" he said again, poking slightly harder. There was a definite giggle this time but the Hyuga was swirling to her feet before Naruto could comprehend why.

"I-I'm sorry, a-are y-you ok?" she asked, hiding her face to the side and behind her longer bangs.

"I'm alright, how about you?" the boy replied, clambering to his feet and dusting off his shorts.

"F-fine!" she replied, almost before he had even finished speaking.

"Good. You need to be more careful." he said, starting to turn back to his tree.

"S-sure." she quietly stated, still hiding her face but Naruto could feel her eyes on him.

Hunching his shoulders slightly he tried to draw an even smaller amount of chakra to try tree-walking again. It was hard, to pluck the tiniest fragments of his inner power out. Naruto always found it easier to just grab and yank as much as he could hold in his mental, or perhaps spiritual arms and force the mass into the proper shape through seals. With no seals to focus the volatile energy the boy was having extreme difficulty bending it to his will.

For the next quarter hour Naruto grew increasingly frustrated, he had managed to almost get to touching the tree, but still hadn't been able to even take his other foot off the ground. Hinata on the other hand, was making rapid gains and would soon be reaching the middle of the tree before having to catch herself.

"How do you _do_ that!" he finally shouted in frustration, gaining a quick glare from Sasuke and Kakashi, and a startled 'eep!' from the focus of his misplaced ire.

Luckily Hinata had been on the ground preparing for her next attempt to climb, otherwise she probably would have catapulted herself away from the tree. The girl quickly dropped her head and stammered an appology.

"What the heck are you sorry for?" the blonde retorted, stomping back and forth. "Your freaking half-way up the tree already, that's great, it's amazing, it's...impossible." snarling he finally leaned back against the rough bark and scowled up at the blue sky.

"A-are you h-having p-problems?" she squeaked a moment later, still hiding behind her bangs.

"Damn, what gave it away." Naruto sighed, starting to regret lashing out at one of the few people who tolerated him without cruel glares and harsh words.

"I just... I can't figure this out. I keep grabbing smaller and smaller amounts of chakra, but no matter how close I get I can't grab the tree." he finally admitted, daring the dirt under his feet to mock him. "I wish I could just _see_ what I'm doing wrong."

"_See? Sight, eyes, bloodline, HYUGA!"_ the boy slapped himself for his own stupidity.

"HINATA!" leaping over to the shy girl Naruto planted himself right in front of her.

"You can see chakra right? Or something like that?" he asked, peering through the slightly tangled hairs to find pale eyes. She nodded slowly, hesitantly but it was enough for the boy.

"So you could tell me what I'm doing wrong!" wanting to race in circles because the answer to his problems was so close Naruto none the less contained himself... barely, when the girl nodded again.

"Byakugan." she intoned, her eyes hardening slightly and the veins around them starting to stand out.

"YES!" quickly running through the steps again, taking the smallest amount of chakra he could fumble free, Naruto pressed his foot against the bark.

Once again stopped a centimeter from the actual surface he looked over to his team-mate hopefully. The girl was quiet for a few minutes, though she did move slightly for a different look at the boy's situation. Finally she looked up and at him, her usual blush absent.

"When... y-you push against t-the tree r-relax your control f-for a second, t-then hold it a-again." she said in a rush, ducking her head slightly as the blush bloomed on her cheeks again.

"Huh?" not quite comprehending the idea Naruto mulled it over for a moment.

"Y-you can't g-grab anything with a-a rock." Hinata said, quoting someone by the sound of her voice, "T-the chakra has t-to be s-soft to mold w-with the s-surface."

"Oh." thinking about it that way suddenly made a lot more sense to the blonde.

If he was holding his chakra tightly it would resist changing shape, but if he relaxed that hold slightly it would morph like water to wrap around the crevices in the tree. Then if he tightened his grip a little it would hold it's shape, letting him use the tiny cracks to support his body weight.

Putting the theory into practice Naruto tried to relax his control over the small bundle of chakra hovering at the bottom of his foot. Sure enough it loosened and he felt his foot touch the bark for the first time since he started trying to climb the tree. His success was short-lived however, as the chakra began to escape, flickering away before he could grab hold of it again and leaving him just leaning against the tree trunk.

"Gah, this is rough." he muttered, "I think I got the idea now though. Thanks Hinata!" flashing a quick smile to his team-mate Naruto turned back to the tree.

He had to take it slow, carefully control his chakra and mold it to his will. Breathing deeply Naruto focused on the small gains he made as he repeatedly walked himself through the steps. Later, how many times he didn't remember, he almost deafened his team when his foot stuck and he was able to stand, perpendicular to the trunk for the first time that day.

It was slow, painful, and tedious, but Naruto wouldn't give it up for the world. He wasn't practicing anything flashy, but he was learning, growing, and soon enough he would be noticed.

* * *

"Excellent job." Kakashi said to the exhausted Uchiha who panted, hands on his knees, beside him. "Your self-teaching is well within the standards and you don't have any glaring defects that I need to work out. Take Hinata's place on the trees and send her over."

"S-sure." the boy stuttered, probably more winded then he had ever been in years.

Watching Sasuke interact with his team-mate drew Kakashi's brow together in a scowl. The boy was still dismissive and made it obvious that he thought he was the superior. That arrogance would have to be _shredded_ and _maimed_ soon or it would become as large a problem as Hinata's hesitance.

"_I'll see if your words can reach him... Obito._" he promised to pass along the words he had come to live by from one Uchiha to another.

"P-please t-take care of me." the small girl stammered while bowing deeply to him.

"Lets start with the initial movements of _Heavens Gaze_." the jonin said, sifting into the stance himself and almost laughing at how wide the girls eyes went.

"H-how d-do..." she started

"I know _Gentle Fist_?" he finished for her. "Give the ninja world some credit Hinata, _Gentle Fist_ is nothing but another _taijutsu _style, what makes it feared is your clans unique eyes and chakra manipulation."

"O-oh." she replied, mind churning with the obvious yet often over-looked fact.

"Shall we? No chakra please." Kakashi pressed slightly, Hinata exhaled an apology before moving into the same stance.

Keeping his motions deliberate and slow Kakashi began to walk her through the forms, his uncovered eye checking for hundreds of possible flaws or errors each second. What he saw frustrated him. Her form was spectacular, some of the best he had seen, but he could feel the reluctance in her mock attacks. Like she was scared to hit, and even more terrified of being struck.

"Hinata." he said softly, seeing her eyes lift to meet his own Kakashi continued, "Hit me."

Confusion was written on her face for a moment but the girl did attack, Kakashi easily brushed the fear-filled swing to the side.

"I said hit me." he chided.

She tried again, and once more he slipped her hand, missing its deadly covering of chakra, harmlessly away.

"Stop." he said quietly, seeing her face fall as she only slightly relaxed. "What are you doing wrong Hinata?"

"I-I..." she was looking, searching for an answer but failing to find one.

"Your scared." Kakashi told her, watching Hinata carefully. "Your scared of being hit, your not putting any intent to kill in your attacks, in essence your hiding."

Hinata's head dropped with each word and Kakashi could feel her trying to will herself into the ground. She was too important to his team to be this broken. Something had happened to her, when exactly Kakashi didn't know, but she was far more intimidating during the test yesterday then she was now.

"Attack me." he said, louder then he had before.

Resuming her stance the girl cautiously threw a pointed finger at his chest. Slapping the hand away Kakashi retaliated with an attack of his own that lightly hit her in the center of her chest. He saw her whole body flinch as his hand landed.

"_She's been hurt before._" the silver-haired ninja thought grimly. It was expected for participants in a spar to hit each other, however the exaggerated motion Hinata showed meant that she had developed a conditioned response to any attack, anything that hit her reminded the girl of what must be years of full-strength Hyuuga strikes. Effectively crippling her before she even started fighting.

"Why are you waiting?" he questioned her sharply, startling the girl from her frozen stupor. They continued to trade blows, Kakashi parrying or blocking Hinata's before landing his own soft attacks for a few minutes.

"Move left." he suddenly said right before his hand reached her, following his voice the girl swayed sharply to her left and his hand missed it's target. As she swayed back Hinata looked at him questioningly.

"ATTACK!" Kakashi roared, hearing an indignant shout from the distracted blonde as he lost concentration and plummeted to the ground in a painful heap.

Hinata jumped and lashed out at him again, Kakashi predictably knocking the blow away and snaking a hand towards her arm while shouting "Down!". Following his instructions again Hinata managed to lower her arm enough to avoid the attack.

As he pushed her, Kakashi slowly started letting Hinata's own attacks start to slip through his defenses. Her hands lightly brushing his skin and clothing, feather-light touches that would be all she needed once her hands were wrapped in chakra. He continued to shout instruction's for her to avoid his own attacks, driving the movements into her muscles memories, his constant pressure for her to attack him keeping Hinata on the offensive.

Slowly her attacks became for firm, more focused as more and more of them began to touch him. Kakashi continued to slowly, painfully build the girls confidence in her own strikes. She was too use to being blocked or avoided by stronger ninja, but under the stress of his demanding voice, the lack of being hit, and the shock of actually hitting herself Hinata was beginning to shed some of her fears.

"Enough." he said after Hinata dodged another of his attacks. "Naruto, Sasuke!" he shouted.

"What!" the blonde's voice came from the lowest branches of his tree.

"Come here." the jonin replied, somewhat impressed at how quickly the boy was grasping the tree-climbing technique. He had begun improving far more rapidly then the notes his teachers had left for Kakashi would suggest.

"What?" Naruto said crossly a moment later, standing next to his team-mates in front of the jonin.

"Naruto, I need you to create four clones." Kakashi stated.

"Right!" suddenly eager the blonde quickly formed his seal and with a small '_pop'_ created the requested number of copies.

"Now, Sasuke, Hinata. Each of you will take two clones with you and walk them through the forms of your preferred stances." Kakashi said.

"Why?" the Uchiha queried.

"It will reinforce your own understanding of your styles. Teaching is often the best way to master something. But your also doing this to make Naruto more effective." the jonin replied.

"Huh? I don't wanna fight like that goth." Naruto stated, pointing at the Uchiha. "What's wrong with me fighting like myself?"

"Sasuke, turn around, you two use the _Transformation Technique_, to look like Hinata." Kakashi said, pointing to the two clones that were standing next to her.

"You heard the boss." the original said, glaring at the copies as Sasuke turned away from the group.

Shrugging the clones proceeded to transform, each becoming a carbon-copy of the shy Hyuga. Kakashi instructed them to shuffle around for a few minutes before asking Sasuke to turn around.

"Can you tell which is the original?" Kakashi asked.

"... No." Sasuke admitted after a moment.

"Take your fighting stances." the jonin told the trio of girls. One hoodied girl slid into an obviously different stance then the other two.

"Who's who?" Kakashi asked the dark-haired boy.

"Obviously that is Hinata." Sasuke retorted, pointing at the only girl in a _Gentle Fist_ stance.

"Do you get it?" Kakashi asked Naruto pointedly.

"Oh!" the blonde shouted. "If I know how to stand like her then no-one would be able to tell if it's the actual Hinata or one of my clones... How does that make me more effective though?"

"_Almost managed to grasp the concept_." Kakashi sighed in his head.

"Well if no-one can tell your clones apart from the originals you could hide Hinata or Sasuke to give them time to prepare a different attack, or you could distract a tracking team by spreading out multiple teams of clones that look, act, fight, and possibly smell like the originals. You might even trick someone into thinking our team is at a gathering or party while we are actually infiltrating or escaping." listing just a few of the possibilities Kakashi saw Naruto's eyes widen.

"You, Naruto, can hide us in a field of clones until we understand an enemy's tactics and abilities, _drastically_ reducing the danger of facing a previously unknown opponent. If we mix in with clones that look, act, and stand like us we could constantly try different attacks or techniques and then be able to disappear in a crowd of look-a-likes before the enemy can retaliate." Kakashi pressed.

"You will probably be the hardest worked individual here." the jonin said quieter, "You will have to learn more, use more energy, be put in more danger, and feel more pain then any of us. If you don't think you can do that I won't force you, but I think you can succeed in this role."

All five of the Naruto's were very quiet, a few crouched or sat on the ground. Kakashi could see the boy considering his words, and the possibilities that were available. When they looked up as a group Kakashi had to smile though, he knew the boys answer. An answer he had come up with five times.

"I'll do it." the said, five voices blending together.

"Excellent. If you two want to get started then?" he said, looking at the other two genin.

"Makes sense." Sasuke said, rising to his feet and motioning for the two clones next to him to follow.

"Remember this." Kakashi called after the boys, "The effectiveness of your team-mate is going to be directly reflected by how well you teach him. If his disguise is weak it will be _your_ fault that he can't cover for you."

Black eyes regarded his for a moment before the Uchiha nodded, turning to face the clones. He slowly began to walk them through the beginning forms of the Uchiha styles. On the other side of the clearing Hinata, blushing deeply and stuttering every word, was doing the same. Looking down to the last boy left in front of him Kakashi grinned.

"You seem to have gotten better overnight, Naruto. I'll have to thank Iruka for getting you to use _Swirling Leaf,_ it is a solid style that will serve you well through the years. Now, do you think you could handle learning one more? Or should we wait till you have a better grasp of Hyuga and Uchiha basics?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm always ready for more!" the boy shouted in reply, his limitless energy shining through.

"Right, since you can use the _Shadow Clone_ technique I think you'll find _Snickering Cackle_ fits you perfectly. It's a style that is designed to be used in a group setting, from two up to six different fighters all preforming different attacks or blocks at the same time." the jonin said.

"That sounds pretty awesome Sensei!" Naruto stated. "I've noticed it's really hard to fight with more then a couple clones without getting in my own way."

"Good observation, and I think it would be best to teach you this to keep you from spending more chakra then necessary to make clones that won't be helping in the fight. However, this isn't a fancy, flashy style that will win you points with the ladies, Naruto. It was designed with one thought in mind; weaken, overwhelm, overpower, and kill your target as effectively as possible." Kakashi replied as he began to guide the boy into the first set of forms.

"People will call this a cowards style, you will be mocked for using it until the instant you tear your opponents throat, lungs, and stomach out all at once. The ultimate goal of any fight is to win, even if you have to play dirty." the jonin continued, but the boy only seemed more set to learn after hearing him. "And Naruto..."

"What Sensei?"

"Remember to thank your team-mates for being willing to bend the clan rules and teach an outsider their techniques." Kakashi said.

"Of course." the boy snorted, though he probably didn't realize just how much the rules were being bent to make their team as effective as possible.

_Shadow Clone's_ were both a blessing and a curse. Naruto would never build his muscles or power by training his clones. He would feel every blow and cut they received, and he would mentally exhaust himself trying to maintain his sanity after spending five-times more _time_ training then anyone else. If he could survive it, and remember even a small part of what he learned from day to day though...

Maybe his team had one more genius on it then anyone would have guessed.

* * *

Hinata was exhausted, sweaty, and extremely pleased with herself. Team 7 had trained for hours between tree-climbing, Kakashi's personal instruction's, and then walking Naruto through the basics of their different styles. Best of all was the fact that _two _Naruto's had watched her like a hawk, listened to every word that she managed to say while she was demonstrating the _Gentle Fist_ for him.

She knew that her father and the elders would tear the boy apart if they knew what she was teaching him. Hinata was sure she would be severely punished for even considering going through with Kakashi's plan, but it was solidly grounded in practicality instead of tradition. Since disobeying her sensei would land Hinata in trouble as well she had sided with Kakashi, spending time with Naruto was just a bonus. Or at least that's how she justified it to herself.

Kakashi had released them for the day after spending a few more hours inspecting their team-mate training and correcting a few flaws that he had picked out. Hinata was in the process of leaving the clearing when Naruto suddenly shouted and stopped her.

"Hey!" he said, quickly closing with her, "I need to say thanks... I know you could get in big trouble for teaching me, but I'm really glad your doing it."

Trying desperately not to pass out from the still vibrant memory of his chest pressed against her own, his finding of her ticklish spot, and his heartfelt statement Hinata didn't manage to even squeak out a reply. The boy, still energetic after their long day, was already turned around and chasing down Sasuke before she managed to capture her voice. Content that Naruto had taken the time to thank her Hinata turned and started the walk home.

She had only made it a short ways past the end of the clearing before she heard a crash. Turning to her side Hinata saw Naruto had somehow slipped off a tree-branch and collapsed head-down into a bush beside her.

"Hi!" he said brightly while extracting himself from the small branches.

"H-hi." cursing her stutter Hinata waited patiently for the boy to remove himself from the shrubbery.

"Right, lets go." he stated after picking a few stray leaves out of his hair.

"H-huh?" she replied dumb-struck as Naruto started ambling in the same direction she had been traveling. His house was in almost the opposite direction.

"I'm gonna walk you home, I'd feel horrible if something bad happened." he said, parroting Iruka while looking over his shoulder with a goofy grin plastered over his face.

Hinata immediately flushed cherry-red from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair. Trying to word a reply she found her tongue had wandered off yet again. Unsure of what else to do Hinata settled for just falling into step with the blonde.

The walk passed in a blur, and Hinata couldn't remember if they had talked or just enjoyed the ever dimming, sunlit walk through the woods and into the village. Before she knew it Naruto was waving goodbye and racing back towards his own home. Lifting her own hand Hinata watched him till he disappeared into the sprawl of houses. Turning back to the gates of the Hyuga compound Hinata felt the constant pressure the place exuded dampening her spirit slightly.

Resolutely walking through the gate and greeting the guards Hinata made her way to her room, and changed into a more comfortable training uniform. Her extra lessons with Hoheto were scheduled to begin in a half-hour. Sitting on her bed Hinata pulled a photo-album from her desk into her hands. Flipping through the few pictures the heiress felt a smile tug her lips as she watched the frozen moments of times that were far happier.

Her mother smiling and holding her and Hanabi right after the younger girl was born. The woman painfully tired but shining with life and light. Even her father in the captured images seemed to be happier. After her mother passed away Hinata had begun inserting some of her pressed flowers into the book since her father stopped taking pictures. The colors shifting and jumping out with each page she turned.

Looking up at the clock Hinata gently replaced the album and made her way to the dojo. Slipping the door open and quietly closing it behind her Hinata took her place in front of Hoheto and waited for the last few minutes to pass before they began.

"Good evening, Hinata." the older man said rising to his feet and bowing slightly.

"G-good evening, Hoheto." she replied, repeating the motion.

"Your father has asked that I instruct you, we will train here every day until you meet my standards. Do you understand?" he asked quietly, a Hyuga never raised their voice unless absolutely necessary.

"Yes." she said just as softly.

"Good, then let us begin." at his words the two pale ninja activated their blood-line and shifted into their stances.

Hinata hung back slightly, worried both about hurting her family member, and of the pain that she would be feeling shortly. Sensing her reluctance Hoheto attacked first, a thrust towards her forward leg. Shifting the limb out of the way Hinata continued to procrastinate, avoiding putting herself in danger. Hoheto replied by stabbing towards her with both hands. Caught by the un-orthodox attack Hinata squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain.

"_DOWN!"_ came a familiar voice, ringing through her as the girls body instantly responded, slipping under her cousin's attack.

"_ATTACK!"_ the voice roared through her, and Hinata could do nothing but give in.

Her right hand lanced out, landing lightly against the inside of Hoheto's elbow before he could withdraw. Surprise was evident through the usual Hyuga mask the older man wore, but Hinata was still moving. Just as Kakashi had instructed her, time and time again that afternoon, she moved her hand even further towards her cousin and tagged his shoulder. She saw it, the spike of her chakra stabbing into his shoulder, darkening the brightly glowing bundle that marked the major nerves necessary to move the limb. Like oil dumped in the glowing river of Hoheto's chakra coils they darkened from his shoulder to fingertips as the lingering chakra dissipated.

Staring in awe Hinata felt his retaliatory strike land on the right side of her chest. She felt his chakra twisting inside her, just like her own had done to him. Half her chest was numb, her breath suddenly short, but she could still move her arms, and her Sensei's voice demanded she get compensation for the attack. Rising like graceful birds her hands tapped their way down her cousins previously un-touched arm, the darkness of his blocked chakra coils following her nimble fingers. Her fingers came to rest delicately against the top of the mans shoulder.

For a few minutes neither Hyuga moved, Hinata stunned by the fact that she had effectively removed her cousins means to fight, and Hoheto looking at her wide-eyed in shock. Looking at him Hinata saw something in his eyes she hadn't seen since her mother passed away. Pride.

"Excellent." Hoheto stated, looking at his arms intently, "You've completely immobilized my right arm with two strikes, and shut down fourty-percent of my left with a perfect counter. Since I can no longer spar till the damage lightens I'll have you go through the forms of _Shaping Grace_ while we wait."

Only years of training in etiquette kept Hinata's jaw from dropping. She had never been in this situation, where her instructor was incapable of fighting her. Always she was incapacitated and left lying on the floor as they preached of her weakness, her laziness, or her lack of attention.

She wasn't hurt, her chest did feel slightly tight, but Hoheto hadn't managed to hit any major points with his strike. Unable to hold it in Hinata dropped her Hyuga mask and threw her arms around the older man's middle, hugging him as tightly as she could and trying desperately not to cry.

Unable to remove the girl Hoheto simply stood, quietly watching the door as the girl's tears began to flow. After a few moments his right hand drifted up to hold the girls shoulders, but made no motion to dislodge her.

"Next round we only use a quarter of the usual amount of chakra." the man said quietly, the reduced energy wouldn't be able to completely shut down a chakra point. It would reduce it, making it easy to tell who had been hit, but there would only be discomfort, not pain.

That was also the way most Hyuga trained, only the head of the family was expected to spar against members who were using their full-strength. Hearing that Hinata felt a fresh batch of tears brewing, both in gratitude and shame. Thankful that Hoheto was willing to save her pain, but knowing that her father would not be pleased.

"It is for my own safety." the man continued, gently rubbing her shoulders, "I can not instruct you properly if I can not move, and I cannot expect my student to fight under a handicap I am unwilling to take myself."

Looking at the man in wonder Hinata tried to think of a reason for his protection. That was what he was offering, a way to learn without being reduced to a shivering mess of pain and aches. He also would take the blame if her father learned of it, as it would be shameful for her to not follow her teachers instructions.

"T-thank you." was all she could say.

* * *

IX.

* * *

Whew. Some good progress there if I do say so myself.

Couple things that you might be interested in:

**Dual affinities**: They all have two, I know it isn't quite cannon but since ninja aren't limited to using strictly their affinity I thought I would expand a little. It will also make it easier for me to create their combination moves and techniques (Remember, I'm pushing teamwork and group-before-self mentality onto them through Kakashi. It's the reason our military is the strongest in the world, we _never_ fight alone.)

**Naruto using clones to learn new _taijutsu_**: If it works for ninja techniques it must work for physical _memory_ somewhat as well, regardless of it it helps Naruto become physically stronger or not he does remember what something feels like, that alone will make learning _taijutsu_ easier (it is also how I suspect he improved so rapidly after the academy, his body learns his opponents attacks and he finds ways to avoid them.). However, Naruto will not be fighting with _Gentle fist _or any Uchiha styles, he will only be learning enough to make his clones harder to tell apart from who they are copying while focusing on Iruka and Kakashi's styles for his actual fights.

**A _Cackel_** is a group of Hyena's, just to get the point across that Kakashi is teaching Naruto how to _kill._ It won't be graceful or pretty, it won't look cool. He will be cutting people to shreds, crushing their will while taking away their ability to fight piece by piece until they sucumb to the unrelenting pressure he puts on them, Naruto's _Talk Technique_ won't be appearing very often. If you don't like that realize he does the exact same thing in the manga, makes almost every fight he is in is a 100-to-1 fight for his opponent, I just have him using clones for more then just punching bags.

**Hinata suddenly fighting back**: She has been trained, she knows the steps, she has become increadiably effective at them through years of training (since birth pretty much). What holds her back is years and years of fighting stronger opponents who hit her with their full power, leading her to not believe in her own strength and spend too much time trying _not_ to get hit then to fight back. Kakashi has begun the process of breaking this habit, and Hoheto will be assisting (For how long... who knows.).

**Strength of Team 7 seem too high?** It won't, because this is the sort of training and learning _every _team of ninja (at the very least from Konoha) is going through. Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and even Sakura will have their strengths reinforced by their jonin instructors. I dislike how Naruto and Sasuke are seemingly stronger, despite their lack of training (seriously, walk up a tree... now your way stronger! Make your friends look like easy fights.), then their peers even during the first portion of the chunin exams, it makes their classmates seem lazy and stupid. I refuse to let that happen, _refuse_ to believe a jonin of Konoha would let their students waste time when they are in a profession with such a high morality rate. Team 7 will also be best when fighting together, and that will be demonstrated constantly once missions start. They might be able to take down a jonin together (not anytime soon), but any of the three on their own would be slaughtered unless they managed to escape. I hope that will keep some of the apprehension about god-like heroes down till I actually get the chapters out.

**Lack of villians?** I've got it covered, Danzo will start making an appearence soon (I got all _kinds_ of plans for Konoha's Root.), Orochimaru is still going to show up, and I have a couple baddies roughed out for missions as well. The Kyubi is quiet for now because he has nothing to tempt Naruto with (for now...). I apologize for not including them more often but I wanted to get through some more team-building and training before starting the real struggles.

**Wave Arc?** Kinda? The issue I'm having is I wanted to do some missions that would cover everything the cannon mission did for the characters, thus meaning the wave arc from cannon would be worthless (character development wise). Currently I'm working on how to include Haku (Male regardless of if I include him or not.) and Zabuza as they are the reason most people like/hate the wave arc without actually having to do the cannon wave arc. They will _not_ be joining Konoha as that would be the equivalent of the Hokage saying Zabuza was working for him when the man tried to _kill the freaking Mizukage!_ That would almost certainly mean war with the Mist and we know our third Hokage is not the type to start a war over something so easily avoidable.

Your reviews and comments help me focus and direct my writing. Let me know when things bother you, or if you liked something. When you do I can make changes accordingly =)

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	10. Chapter 10

Yay new chapter! I also did some minor editing and adding to chapters 1-9 so if you haven't read the story as a whole in a while there are a few new things (most notably the Kyuubi having a few more or slightly different lines... It wasn't evil enough.)

Normal talking/events

_Thoughts and emphasis__  
_**Greater beings and extra emphasis**

I still do not own Naruto.

* * *

X.

* * *

Crow was twitching on the ground. The involuntary jerks and spasms wracking his body would have been enough to make former veterans from the third Shinobi war queasy but no sound came from the tortured individual.

"As you can all see, the "_Phantom's chamber"_ technique is perfect for our needs. It forces the target to be silenced, and you have complete control over the amount of pain they receive. As a dual layered genjutsu-ninjutsu the technique is also very difficult to break without proper training." a noticeably sharper bend from the captive followed the statement.

Continuing to pace before the short row of fresh recruits for the 'Root', Danzo felt nothing for the pain his loyal follower had lived through since his disastrous failure to retrieve the Kyuubi's container. This was probably the last lesson the spy would be able to demonstrate for his newest comrades without becoming too damaged to continue his cover as an ANBU. Leaving the phantom's only Crow could see torturing him for a moment longer Danzo finally dropped the technique and left the younger man breathing raggedly into the floor of the chamber.

"All humans are weak." he continued. "They break under stress, under fear, under expectations, and most often under _pain_. Use this inherent weakness to drag information out of your targets, to make them bend to our will. We are the great Root of Konoha, we do these dark deeds to make the village ever stronger. We are the hidden hand that pushes our fellow villagers higher. Never doubt that what you do is for Konoha, never fear to smear your honor and pride if Konoha will benefit." looking at his newest soldiers Danzo caught each and every gaze while he paced during the brief speech and finally stopped and faced them fully.

"Dismissed." he stated, watching as the five young recruits filed out of the room quietly and efficiently.

"What have you discovered, Crow?" his words were hard and unfeeling, promising pain if he was denied answers.

"The container has begun training under Kakashi. His team-mates are Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata. The boy's standard routine for the last week has been to leave and train with his team till the early afternoon, he then walks the Hyuga to her compound. After that he returns to Umino Iruka's abode and is with the man for the rest of the day. I have not found anywhere to stage a snatch-and-grab operation as he is almost always in the presence of a jonin or crowd. I have failed the Root, lord Danzo." the man knelt before Danzo, head hung in submission and grudgingly prepared to accept his fate.

Ignoring the man again Danzo resumed his pacing. The Kyuubi's power would be a great boon for the Root, almost a requirement if they wanted to complete his partners agenda before age began to steal the last of Danzo's strength.

The best time to acquire the beast would be as it escorted the Hyuga home, but silencing the girl was not an option. Hiashi may not care deeply for his daughter, but he would fly into a rage if he even caught a hint that someone was screwing with the Hyuga's status or pride. Mentally destroying his heir, not that he wasn't doing that perfectly well himself, so she couldn't name the attackers would be taken as a sign of war. A war that the Root's plans were not prepared for.

"Leave." he said quietly, waving the kneeling man towards the door.

Crow practically threw himself from the room before Danzo could reconsider. As the door slid shut noiselessly behind the fake ANBU Danzo took the concealed door on the opposite wall. Slowly working his way down the maze of tunnels that connected his office to the majority of his domain the bandaged former shinobi patiently made his way to the center of his power.

Reaching his underground office Danzo let the particular route he had used seal itself, a network of intricate seals filling the passage with soil from it's surroundings while opening another exit the shadowy figure could use to escape if forced too. Secure in the knowledge of his room's secrecy Danzo dropped his limp and extended his stride as he made his way to the massive desk that perched near the center of the room. Seating himself behind the structure Danzo proceeded to make a few signs, then leaned back and waited. Shortly after a few small boxes emerged from the ceiling, bringing him fresh reports and news from his empire.

Sorting through the receipts, reports, and rumors quickly Danzo organized and filed the papers in his various drawers and the small rack he set on the edge of the desk for his most pressing projects. Lifting the lid on the last box the bandaged shinobi was unable to hold back a gruesome smile. Lifting the single sheet of paper reverently he placed it on the desk before him then waved the boxes back to their hidden locations.

"Now the game can truly begin." he murmured, eyes feasting on the hinge that had just come into his grasp.

The Hokage's signature. By itself a powerful tool, but attached to this document it became something so much more... alluring.

Pulling a fresh sheet of paper from another drawer Danzo quickly penned a message using a code only two individual's knew. To anyone else the paper would merely be a polite 'thank you' for assisting an elderly couple in the village of Suna move homes. To the other individual however, it was the beginning of the end.

"I will deliver him into your hands, snake." Danzo chuckled as he sealed the paper with one of his many devices before laying it aside.

"To the esteemed Kazekage. There have been several developments for the next Genin exam that I believe we should discuss prior to the event. I humbly request your presence and offer you my deepest apologies for these unforeseen complications. You will be, of course, afforded only the best lodgings and entertainment for your stay. I hope you will contain your questions until such time as we can discuss them face to face, for the lives of our newest ninja may well hang in the balance." reading a portion of the signed document before him Danzo barely repressed his urge to snicker.

The letter seemed to be written by the Hokage himself, the words even mimicking his distinctive flare on 'V's' and 'R's'. His signature on the bottom validating it as his, or at the very least approved by him. Yet this document had never been seen by the supposed 'author'.

"Thus the sand shall be swept away, buried forever in the dark forest leaves." Danzo murmured as he proceeded to seal and send his letters.

"Now for the jinchuriki. The unrest in the Land of Spirits is reaching it's breaking point. A messenger will come soon, and then a fox will be bound to the trees roots." several reports were opened and closed, names noted and cataloged as Danzo continued his musing.

The Land of Spirits was a small, hardly noticed country by most citizens of the greater lands. It's greatest source of income came from the many functions it's resident's offered for funerals. To be buried by those from the land of spirits was a great honor, for their location next to Amegakure and the near endless wars that ravaged that land had given them a unique perspective of life and death, and many great heroes from one village or another who had fallen on the field lay enshrined there.

"I hope you enjoyed your little tests serpent, because the playground is finally breaking down." smirking the mastermind began to pen several new sets of instructions. "I think it still has one more use however."

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"You need to move your left foot a little further back." Sasuke mentioned to the two mirror images of himself. Groaning they followed his instructions and finally managed to assume a stance similar to his own.

If the Uchiha clan still lived, as more then himself and one S-class missing-nin, Sasuke would never have considered teaching an outsider their ways. Since he was the last 'true' Uchiha however, teaching someone outside the clan was acceptable. If only because it was to give the last clansmen alive a slightly better chance of surviving.

Sasuke's biggest concern's were how much to teach his... team-mate. Naruto would soak up instruction like a sponge, only to come back the next day with it all garbled up with _'Gentle fist' _or _'Swirling Leaf' _ and whatever form Kakashi was teaching the boy. Early on Sasuke had noticed this and immediately reduced the pace of Naruto's training, instead of teaching him to actually use any of Sasuke's styles he had instead focused on teaching the boy to mimic his ways of moving and only a few of the more common stances he took. The most surprising part was it worked.

The two boys had teamed up to try a practical test of the fruits of their two weeks of hard labor. Naruto had walked around town as 'Sasuke' for over an hour. Everything had gone fine until Sakura showed up, tried to latch onto 'Sasuke's' arm, and then immediately proceeded to break Naruto's _'Transformation' _technique with a _genjutsu _breaking release. Upon finding that it wasn't Sasuke under the illusion Naruto had been given the chase of his life as not only Sakura, but a large handful of drooling fan-girls had chased him with murder in mind. The comical end to the escapade didn't detract from the fact that Naruto had been able to successfully masquerade as his team-mate for over an hour to a casual observer in their home village.

As successful as Naruto might be imitating Sasuke, he was woefully inept at repeating the performance with Hinata. He could mimic her fighting stances to a degree, but actually convincing someone of his illusion outside a combat situation was beyond the boy.

"_I just can't... Do that!"_ he had shouted in frustration, pointing to Hinata in her entirety when pressed further. _"The way Hinata moves is 'weird', and I can never remember to look down enough or copy her finger-bridge at the right times, and how the hell does she swing her hips so much while walking?"_

Needless to say it had taken a full three days of Naruto, or one of his clones, constantly consoling or reassuring Hinata she didn't do anything _wrong _and a brief anatomy lesson from Kakashi, in which blushes had abounded from all three genin, to finally get her to stop trying to disappear into the ground.

"Sasuke, Hinata! Form up." their jonin's voice echoed through the trees.

Four _pop's_ followed as two Sasuke's and two Hinata's disappeared in a puff of smoke, the originals quickly gathered their gear and started making their way towards the voice. After passing the edge of the clearing Hinata activated her bloodline and established visual contact on their destination to guide them to the rest of the team. Entering the small clearing the two genin joined a panting Naruto and ever-calm Kakashi.

"Good job remembering to check the area on your way here Hinata." Kakashi praised. "How many did you find?"

"I-I found three t-trip-wires and t-two pit falls." she stated quietly, looking down at her toes.

"Not bad, you did miss the explosive tag ten feet above you though." their sensei chided softly. "Don't forget our world is three-dimensional, it's instinctual to focus on the horizontal plane so often traps will be set on the vertical instead."

"I'm s-sorry." Hinata whimpered.

"You only missed one Hinata! That's like a new record!" Naruto cheered, Sasuke did his part by merely nodding in agreement.

"Right then, I have a question for you all." Kakashi stated as the genin loosely lined up before him. "Do you want to keep working on chakra control and perhaps some seals for a technique, or spend the rest of our day doing missions?"

"MISSIONS!" Naruto shouted before Kakashi had even finished his sentence.

Sasuke noted how Hinata squirmed, probably feeling pressured to agree with the blonde no doubt, before he gave a non-committal grunt. They could make of that what they wanted, either way he would probably learn a little bit more today.

"We should totally do a mission Hinata! Wouldn't it be great to fight bandits or save a princess from her evil step-father!" despite the blondes uncharacteristic notice of Hinata's discomfort he failed to note how his 'encouragement' only made the girl more and more nervous.

"_Still oblivious."_ the dark-haired boy sighed internally.

"Naruto stop hounding Hinata for a minute." their Sensei remarked, moving between the two children slightly before turning to Hinata.

"What do you _want_ to do Hinata?" the jonin asked after cutting off Naruto's day dreams. Sasuke watched the play of muscles in both his teacher and team-mate. Kakashi's body language was calm and encouraging, not putting any extra pressure on the girl. Hinata, despite her tightened shoulders and visible compression upon being the center of attention, slowly raised her head to meet Kakashi's eyes. After a few seconds she seemed to shake some of the tension and open her mouth.

"A-a m-mission would b-be fine." and there she went, shoulders back up and paranoia exuding from her skin. Sasuke found the display equal parts pitiful and irritating, though she had made visible progress in responding with her voice and giving her opinion since the team began meeting daily.

"A mission it is then." the jonin replied, his visible eye warping into a strange form of smile. Sasuke suspected a unique genjutsu to be the culprit.

"YES!" Naruto was trying to show his enthusiasm by jumping between trees. Of course his display of 'trying' ended up with him slipping off the bark more often then not and added a few tumbles and bruises along the way.

"Hn."

"_Boring"_ and pointless to the black-haired boy, but at least they were moving now.

Falling into a loose diamond pattern the team made their way through the trees, Hinata hesitantly mentioning traps or objects of interest to their instructor while Naruto cheered every time she did. Sasuke focused on scanning the tree-line, pretending he might be able to spot his brother if he watched closely enough.

"Shurkien, three o'clock!" Kakashi lazily mentioned as they entered a clearing.

Whipping his head in that direction even as his body dove for cover in a slight depression Sasuke spotted the handful of dark tools as they whizzed over his head. A equally quick glance to his left and right showed Naruto and Hinata had also managed to take cover without sustaining injury.

"Traps?" he whispered towards Hinata, and after seeing her negative reply "Number?" the girl held up one finger, "Good, Eyes open." with that the boy turned to his other comrade.

"Go right, pincer, drive them into the clearing if we can." Naruto nodded before rolling further towards the wood-line on his right, Sasuke copied his actions towards the left.

Keeping low and using the sparse terrain as a shield whenever possible Sasuke managed to make it to the wood-line despite a few more deadly objects being hurled in his direction. Once in the cover of the trees he launched his body into high gear and wove through the trees, moving parallel to the shurkien's flight path. With a little luck both he and Naruto would both make it slightly past their target and end up fairly even with each other where they could then proceed to push them into the clearing where Hinata would join them again.

Spotting a flash of blue cloth Sasuke worked his way past the concealed assailant, making sure to give them a fairly safe distance and keep cover between them even as he loosed a few shurkien of his own to keep them pinned, before doubling back at an angle directly for them. He could hear Naruto coming up on the other side, slightly behind Sasuke in his own progress through the maneuver. He was close enough that their attacker would have to flee towards Hinata or deal with one of the boys.

"Check." Sasuke whispered as he saw the blue-clad figure dart towards the clearing. He heard Naruto pick up speed, probably having spotted their assailant fleeing as well, and proceeded to increase his own. A few moments later they burst back into the clearing, breathing hard but ready, and spotted Hinata and their target in a stand-off just a few meters further ahead.

Making a circular motion with his left arm Sasuke moved forward with Naruto to complete the trap around the blue figure. As soon as they finished maneuvering their quarry disappeared in a plume of smoke.

"Not bad. You and Naruto both got a little careless once you hit the wood-line. Speed is important, but it's better to move cautiously then take a shurkien to the leg." Kakashi criticed, not having moved from his spot except to draw his orange-covered book. "Hinata, excellent work staying under cover and dodging. Now team, what would you all have done differently if Hinata couldn't use her Byakugan?"

"Retreat to a defensible position and signal for support." Sasuke replied without hesitation.

"Why?"

"Cause we don't know how many of them there are." Naruto chimed in, eager to mention that after it had been drilled into his head rather firmly the first few times they preformed this exercise.

"W-we aren't carrying a-any sesit-tive information." Hinata added.

"Good, what does that mean about the enemies objective?" Kakashi continued.

"Probably after either myself of Hinata, as clan heirs we are worth a hefty randsom as well as sources of possible bloodline secrets. That or the enemy is targeting leaf shinobi without prejudice, regardless they should be dealt with as quickly as possible, preferably with overwhelming force to keep our casualties to a minimum." Sasuke summarized.

"Very good." Motioning the genin to rejoin him Kakashi once again took off for the Hokage's tower.

Replaying the scenario Sasuke was pleased with his actions. They had followed Kakashi's advice almost to the letter for this drill. This type of exercise had become a common occurrence after their first few days of training. Kakashi would summon dogs or make shadow-clones that would attack the team, after the first few rounds the genin had sat down and formulated some basic tactics they could use in case of ambush.

Once they started reacting as a team Kakashi proceeded to ask them questions that continued to refine their maneuvers, how to puzzle out some basic reasoning for the ambush, and what was important to mention while calling for support. Occasionally he would add handicaps. Things like; one of the genin being injured, giving them a scroll of 'sensitive' information they needed to protect, and even not being able to use their own kunai or shurkien to stimulate low supplies after heavy fighting. Incorporating these handicaps into their strategies had been a frustrating affair, but had improved them and given the team a basic set of 'if this; then do this' they could fall back on to avoid panicking in the field.

The rest of the journey to the tower was uneventful. After they cleared the training ground Kakashi had switched his focus from Hinata's observations to Naruto and began asking the boy questions. Most of them Sasuke recognized from the academy. Whenever they encountered an area Naruto couldn't give an answer on Kakashi would talk the situation out and give the boy advice before once again asking the question. After two weeks of this personal tutoring Naruto was surprisingly capable of piecing together answers that had originally stumped him completely. While most of the questions were more then redundant Sasuke kept half an ear on the discussion as the jonins unique perspective of the material would occasionally grant him fresh insight and ideas.

"So why do you think the third Hokage let Wheat country off with just paying the blood money for Uchiha Saito's murder?" The mention of his family drew Sasuke's attention to the talking duo.

Sasuke didn't have to think very hard to recognize the particular situation Kakashi was talking about. Uchiha Saito had officially gone on a simple mission to Wheat country about lowering the border taxes on goods coming from Konoha, unofficially he was looking into the Daimyo's records for evidence that they were harboring a missing-nin from Konoha. When he was discovered where he shouldn't have been Saito had been captured and immediately put to death by the Daimyo's body guards. Curious the young Uchiha focused on Naruto's answer.

" Grampa? Umm... He didn't want to start a war?" the boy hesitantly replied.

"Why didn't he want to start a war?" Kakashi continued.

"Cause wars are bad? The old man doesn't like fighting anyway."

"True, but Wheat is such a small country compared to the Land of Fire. Why _could_ the Hokage be cautious about declaring a war with them?" the jonin pressed.

"Uh, maybe... hmmm." stumped the blonde scratched his chin as they maneuvered down the street. "Did Wheat maybe have friends?"

"In fact they did, Wheat has been allied with the Land of Wind for almost a century. Since Fire country was in negotiation for a treaty with Wind at the time the Hokage decided that even though Uchiha Saito, a noble of the Uchiha clan, had been killed by Wheat the treaty was more important then demanding blood for blood." the older ninja explained, "So too summarize. Because Wheat was allies with Wind country we didn't press for more compensation even though they acted rather barbaric in killing the man instead of demanding trade or monetary compensation for his trespassing. Now why do you think they killed him immediately?"

Caught off guard by the continuation of the question Naruto fumbled around for a bit before mumbling something that sounded like an "I don't know. Stupid history."

"We are ninja Naruto. Look underneath the surface to see truth, then underneath truth to see purpose."

"Well if this Saito guy was worth a lot of money they should have sold him instead of killing him..." after a brief moment of frustration Naruto opted a more classical 'thinking pose'. "Unless he maybe found the information he was looking for?"

"We'll never know about that I'm afraid, but I think he did find something. Something that was too important for Wheat to let him live." Kakashi agreed. "When in doubt make sure you 'look underneath the underneath'. You may be surprised at what you can learn."

Filing the fresh information away Sasuke had to admit Naruto's guesses had gotten much more accurate and believable since Kakashi had started quizzing the boy. Of course he as an Uchiha would have been able to answer without even trying, but his teammate was improving. Maybe in a few years he and Hinata wouldn't be automatically pitied when team 7 was brought up in civilized conversation.

Looking up Sasuke realized they had arrived at the tower. Filing in like good little soldiers, besides Naruto who had immediately barged into the mission room shouting, he and Hinata stood in front of their Sensei while Naruto bounced back and forth before the seated Hokage.

"Gramps! I haven't seen you in like, ever! I've gotten lots stronger since last time, why don't you just pass me the hat _and_ the toughest mission you got." the boy boasted, Sasuke remembered to keep his 'bored' look in place despite the urge to palm his face.

"Team 7 reporting for our first mission." Kakashi stated respectfully.

"Already starting missions are you, Naruto?" the elderly Kage queried with that smile only old people could manage breaking out over his features. "I think I have just the thing for you, Team 7."

Sasuke couldn't help but suppress a small shiver of anticipation. He didn't like to be lumped together with his almost-drop out of a teammate, but a real _mission_! He had to admit it as he felt his pulse quicken, his senses sharpening, the body he sculpted for years readying for anything. He was excited, almost foaming at the mouth in anticipation. The next step towards his dream was about to pass.

He focused his heightened attention on the Hokage's aid, Iruka today, as the man shuffled through a few scrolls laid out next to him before handing one to the Hokage. The old man took the thin parchment and unrolled it slightly, Sasuke could swear the lines of ink were almost legible to him as the light hit the far side. He felt his left arm twitch just a little bit, in spite of his iron control, as the man rolled it back up and tossed it over Naruto's head to Kakashi.

"_Our... first mission."_ he thought as his head followed the graceful arc of the paper, thrown with obvious practiced ease, till it landed in Kakashi's gloved hand.

"The Inuzuku nin-dogs could use a good, long walk. I trust you four will be more then capable of this demanding mission?" the old man inquired.

Sasuke blinked. The old man must be senile. Looking at Kakashi the boy felt his normally schooled features drop into an expression eerily similar to Naruto's, complete and total open-mouth disbelief, as the man 'eye-smiled'.

"_Fucking shitting me."_ he thought. Only to notice when every eye in the room was on him that the statement had not, in fact, been only in his head.

"I agree! What is this crap Gramps! I said we were here for a mission, not to walk some moldy old dogs!" Naruto immediately grabbed the figuratively offered torch, whipping around to slam his hand on the Hokage's desk.

"This is a mission, a fairly important 'D' rank mission as well. The Inuzuku nin-dogs are very important to the villages tracker teams and provide much needed bodies to fill our ranks of the Hunter-nin corps. Keeping the animals in excellent physical condition is very important to village security." the old man explained. Sasuke could swear he heard snickering from everyone but his fellow teammates.

"Well give it to someone else! I wanna..." Naruto's statement was cut off as Kakashi's free hand snaked around and clamped over the boys mouth.

"Naruto." the jonin said with deadly calm. "We have been given our mission. If we were in the field and I told you to cover our six-o-clock would you argue?" Sasuke could hear the whiny reply even through the jonins thick gloves.

"But I wanna fight bandits and save princesses and have epic duels to the death with missing nin!"

"Then prove your capable. The first step to _proving_ you are ready for serious missions is to follow your superiors orders, and the highest authority just told us he _needs_ us to help keep our villages best source of trackers in shape." the jonin replied without hesitation.

"But..." the boys shoulders were slumping in acceptance, despite his continued denials.

"Soon enough you'll be wishing all you had to do was walk a few dogs." Kakashi consoled them, his gaze suddenly far on the horizon.

Sasuke recognized that stare. The stare of an older generation, one that had shed blood and lost countless comrades. He didn't need to look into the older mans eyes to know they would be almost life-less and dim. He had seen it on his father and his brother, even months before the massacre.

Glancing over at his third team-mate Sasuke saw a hint of the relief she had obviously worked hard to wipe off her features at the news of their 'mission'. In a moment of pettiness he almost made a comment about her insecurities. Almost. Sasuke was an Uchiha, he didn't succumb to pettiness, no matter how hard he wanted to lash out at the easy target to relieve some of his disappointment over the mission.

"Come along, genin." Kakashi called as he turned and held the door open. "Those dogs won't walk themselves."

Scuffing his sandals slightly more then necessary Sasuke followed Hinata out of the room. Naruto cast one last pleading look at the Hokage before slumping completely into defeat and following them. Numbly the trio followed Kakashi to the Inuzuku kennels.

"_One more step."_ Sasuke tried to convince himself as they stood before the gates.

"Yeah..." Naruto glumly added, causing the dark-haired boy to look at him sharply before slapping himself as he realized yet again that he had spoken his thoughts out loud.

"Well you know what!" the blonde suddenly shouted, causing a few winces to escape the rest of the team. "We'll just have to do this mission so well the Hokage feels obligated to use us for better missions! Won't he feel dumb giving us such a lame mission when we get it done in record time!"

Pausing for a moment Sasuke considered the blondes statement as the other boy raised his head and purposefully pushed his way into the Inuzuku compound.

"You know, Naruto. That may be the best idea you've ever had." Sasuke finally conceded. Of course they would preform this mission above and beyond expectations, he was part of the team so that was a no brainer, but if he put all his effort into this easy mission? Heck, the Hokage wouldn't dare waste his time after seeing how much more useful team 7 would be on _real_ missions.

"I have lots of good ideas!" the blonde retorted over his shoulder with a grin. "I bet I can walk more dogs then you, emo-boy!"

"Hn." Sasuke wouldn't even give that boast consideration. Of course he as an Uchiha could walk more dogs then the former troublemaker.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"Naruto. I won't even ask." Hinata heard as she turned the corner, the three hip-height animals whose leashes she held continuing the exemplary behavior they had demonstrated since she had greeted them respectfully at the Inuzuku compound.

Turning the corner she should have been surprised. Well, maybe if this had happened half an hour ago she would have been. After almost an hour walking the dozen nin-dogs they were assigned she had seen more improbable feats from Naruto then she had ever considered possible.

This particular instance involved Naruto, the five dogs he was walking, after taking one of hers so he had more then Sasuke, a fair-sized tree, two garbage cans, a power-line pole and the line that ran along it. Leashes were tied in knots _far_ to complex considering both ends of the leash were tied to something or held by someone, throughout the branches of the tree. One of the garbage cans was spilled out at the bottom of the tree with two of the dogs rooting through it's contents, the other was hanging next to Naruto near the top of the tree. The contents of said garbage can hanging from the power line above the branches and leashes as Naruto scrambled through the loose network trying to avoid the second pair of dogs gnawing on his boots or extremities. The final smarter then average animal was preforming a surprisingly mundane act of marking the base of the pole.

"HELP!" the boy shrieked as one of the large animals caught the cuff of his shorts, causing him to tumble and crash his way to the ground. Not a second after he landed all five of the dogs proceeded to sit on him, looking quite pleased with themselves.

"Stupid fur-balls! Don't sit on your temporary master!" the squirming blonde's muffled shout could be heard from under the biggest dogs tail. "I'll eat you! I don't even like dog but I'll make old man Ichiraku cook you up nice in the biggest bowl of ramen ever!"

Seemingly taking offense the nin-dog closest to Naruto's head took the boy's head in his jaws and made a few chewing motions. Recognizing the humor, and lack of harmful intentions, from the animal the rest of the team 7 males walked by without comment.

"Hiryuu? Would you p-please let Narut-to up?" Hinata asked the bulky grey furred dog, for what must have been the hundredth time in less then that many minutes, making sure she bowed slightly as well.

Cocking his head for a minute the nin-dog pretended to not understand her. When she sighed and gave the animal a few scratches behind the ears he yipped and proceeded to follow after the other boys as if nothing had happened. The other four dogs quickly followed his lead, leaving Naruto splayed out in the dirt as he recovered.

"Thank god. I thought those fat mutts were gonna suffocate me." the boy joked as he got to his feet, no worse for wear apparently.

"N-naruto, you s-should be a little m-more respectful to t-the nin-dogs." Hinata whispered. As much as she didn't want to poke at the boy's flaws his attitude towards their charges was... unprofessional. "T-they are qu-quite intelligent."

"Really? So they _are_ doing this on purpose!" the boy yelled in playful outrage. "I got your number now mutts, you think your smarter then the future Hokage?"

Caught between sighing and grinning like a fool Hinata felt her fingers form a swaying bridge while Naruto made a handful of clones to clean up the mess and help untangle the leashes. Letting the clones handle the majority of the work Naruto brushed himself off and started following after his charges, all of whom already had devious glints in their eyes.

"Come on Hinata, I can't let them get too far ahead or they'll ambush me again." the boy whispered conspiratorially to her.

Hinata swore Hiryuu looked purposefully over his shoulder after the comment with what she could only call a grin covering his furry face.

"B-but..." she muttered.

"Don't worry, we're just playing. Right boys?" Naruto told her with a smile as he quickened his stride slightly. A few yips and short barks came from the five dogs in reply.

Hinata tried not to pass out from seeing _that_ smile. Naruto was happy. Really, really happy and it showed in his smile. The way he practically glowed from within and had a little extra bounce in his step. Letting her mild irritation go without regret Hinata giggled a little to herself as she remembered a few more of the messes Naruto and his charges had gotten into during the walk. If all she had to do was scratch Hiryuu a few times behind the ears to keep Naruto this happy Hinata would scratch that dogs ears till her fingers fell off.

Lost in her own head for a few moments Hinata fell behind as the rest of the team turned the corner. Predictably there was a shout of happy outrage and a few crashes. Shaking her head Hinata turned the corner to a familiar sight. Five dogs piled on one blonde in the middle of the street.

"H-hiryuu..." Hinata tried not to laugh as she once again bent over to scratch the dogs ears. Satisfied the nin-dog hopped up and carried on like nothing had happened, followed by his fellow four-legged menaces and their blonde chew-toy.

"All right, I think we can head back now." Kakashi called.

"Ok boys. I know we've had a fun time..." Naruto had dropped to his knees and spread his arms around the five animals he was walking, only to be interrupted as Hiryuu mouthed his head again.

"Gah! Hey, I'm serious here." the boy groaned as he playfully swatted the animals shoulder, "What I wanted to say was..." Hinata couldn't hear the rest as the blonde dropped his voice too low for her to pick up.

"Are we in agreement?" five heads nodded and one blonde flashed a wide grin. "In that case... **First ****genin back with their dogs wins!**"

Immediately after his shout Naruto and his charges were off like explosive tags had gone off under them. Blinking Hinata watched the cloud of dust as it raced off down the street.

"No way are we loosing to the idiot! Lets _GO!_" Sasuke yelled after a second, his own slightly better behaved pack close on his heels as they chased the diminishing dust cloud.

"Ummm... T-The compound is... t-this way..." Hinata timidly mentioned, though the boys were already long gone.

"Good point Hinata. I think we should make our way there to wait though. No telling when Naruto or Sasuke will remember that point." Kakashi sagely added as he ambled in the correct direction.

Squeaking Hinata fell in beside him as her three charges fanned out to sniff and mark various objects along the route.

"So how are your lessons with Hoheto going, Hinata?" Kakashi asked after a few blocks.

"W-well!" Hinata replied quietly. "H-he said my p-progress is much b-better the last two w-weeks."

"Good. Did you talk with him about adding any ninjutsu to your routine at home?" the older man continued

"H-he said he can't unless my f-father tells him too." the dark-haired girl stated glumly.

"I see. I suppose your father still wants you completely focused on continuing your _Gentle Fist_ training. He's been remarkably pig-headed about this subject."

"_Gentle Fist_ is iconic f-for Hyuuga. My father s-says I shouldn't 'learn f-frivolous techniques' till I am b-better with _Gentle Fist_." ducking her head Hinata scolded herself for the automatic reaction and made sure to look up at her sensei for his reply.

"Mah, your _Gentle Fist_ isn't perfect, but you won't be able to improve much more until you gain at least a few more inches in height and a bit more muscle. I suppose we're ready to switch to a more ninjutsu focused routine as a team anyway. Your chakra capacity will improve quite a bit once you actually start using a decent percentage of it, Sasuke is chomping at the bit for more techniques and Naruto's not any better." the jonin sighed. "I can still give Naruto some instruction on his taijutsu while his clones handle the ninjutsu workload."

"I-is it t-that bad? I mean... N-naruto is really strong." blushing at her defense of the boy Hinata once again had to catch herself from looking at the dirt instead of her sensei.

"Naruto is tough, has more stamina then the next two kids in your class combined, and never knows when to quit. His technique and form are still very rough though. I suppose I'm slightly to blame for making him learn quite a few styles at once, but he needed those Hyuuga and Uchiha basics if he ever wants to imitate either of you properly. He's strong for a fresh academy student, all three of you are, but he won't be genin strength in taijutsu for a while yet." Kakashi explained. "Once he has the basics for _Snickering Cackle _and _Swirling Leaf_ down he'll be twice as strong if not more then he is now."

Nodding happily Hinata felt very pleased for a few minutes, until she realized her own progress was notably slower then Naruto. If he was going to be twice as strong as he was already? She suddenly felt very small.

"Hinata." Kakashi intoned, drawing the girls attention to his face again. "You'll get much stronger too. Your biggest weakness is lack of ninjutsu or genjutsu, something of a defect many Hyuuga share or never attempt to remedy. By the time Naruto has gotten the basics of his taijutsu down you'll have a few techniques to throw around and mix into your style. That added variety will make you more then a match for either Naruto or Sasuke as long as you believe in yourself."

"B-but their both so..." Hinata mumbled, not quite believing him.

"Hinata. Your stronger then you think and your going to get much stronger. Don't worry about getting left behind, I promise you won't be." the goofy, reality defying eye smile was in place and Kakashi's voice soothed the girls worries.

"LOOK OUT!" both teacher and student immediately stepped to the side as five nin-dogs raced through the portion of road they had just been occupying. A second later a ball of blonde, black, orange, and tan was dragged through the dirt, five leashes connecting it to the animals as they continued their mad dash for the kennels.

"He's pulling away!"

Neither of the two bystanders, or the three dogs in their care, moved until the second pack and their human escort blurred past. Sasuke was on his feet, though Hinata could see the sweat pouring off his body as he pushed himself to his limits trying to catch Naruto's pack.

"Well you might as well join in Hinata." Kakashi drawled, waving his hand at the other half of their rapidly diminishing team.

Feeling a startled squeak slip Hinata quickly half-bowed then started her own run. Her three dogs easily loping beside her. The wide swath of street left open by her leading team-mates gave the girl an unobstructed path that helped close the distance. After a few minutes Hinata was sweating almost as profusely as Sasuke, her lungs were burning, but her legs were still perfectly steady as the red and white fan on the back of the Uchiha's shirt creeped closer. Utilizing a burst of Chakra around the next corner Hinata almost drew even with the Uchiha, her own pack easily keeping pace.

"Hin... ata?" the boy breathlessly choked out, his eyes widening when he glanced over his shoulder. Black eyes narrowed almost as quickly and the boy poured on more speed then Hinata thought possible, dull _'thuds'_ giving away how much extra chakra the Uchiha had started using to compensate for the limits of his physical body.

Already using more chakra then she was comfortable with Hinata let him pull away again. There was a brief stumble as Sasuke and his pack worked their way around the now dirt-skiing Naruto and his furry engines. A few taunts passed between the boys, though Hinata couldn't make out many of the words, before Naruto tripped slightly and Sasuke managed to firmly take the lead.

"Hi... Ho... Lets... Go... go... bleh..." Hinata heard the blonde chanting as she managed to shave a few more feet off the interval between them. "Why did... I... Stupid... idea..."

Smiling despite her discomfort Hinata inched closer. Her legs and arms pumping together furiously, all dozen of the nin-dogs didn't even have the shame to look winded. As the large group made the final turn, the Inuzuku kennels a mere 400 meters further down the road, Naruto stumbled again.

Slowing to check on her team-mate Hinata felt her arms, followed quickly by the rest of her, jerked forward as her charges refused to slow in the slightest. A brief moment of resistance was all Hinata manged before conceding that these three dogs could probably pull her around the whole village without having to put forth any real effort. Looking over her shoulder she relaxed as she spotted the blonde once again on his feet and starting to gain back the lost ground.

"Gonna... get you..." she heard him wheeze, prompting both a blush and instinctive sprinting from the red-faced girl.

The remaining distance seemed to vanish, Naruto drawing even with her again but unable to pass, both of them closing the distance with Sasuke as his stamina finally started to flag. Hinata still knew that unless the Uchiha fell flat on his face he would be the first in the compound. She tried to slow down just a little bit, just to give Naruto some confidence, but her charges once again refused to have any of it. If anything the dogs started extending their strides the last fifty meters. With the extra pull Hinata ended up passing through the compound gates just before before Naruto.

Sasuke was bent over, hands on his knees and blowing like a blacksmiths bellows, as Hinata's dogs finally stopped pulling when she slid up next to him. Opting a similar pose to try and break up the stitch that had developed in her side Hinata almost missed Naruto tumble past both of them, his leashes tangling his arms and legs together as he hit the ground with a '_whump'_.

"Shucks..." he breathed out before dragging in massive lung fulls of air. Trying to come up with the breath and words to offer Naruto some encouragement, and maybe an apology, Hinata was cut off as the blonde continued.

"Oh well. That was a freaking _blast_! Lets do it again!"

Blinking Hinata let her half-formulated sentence die before trying to voice it. Once again Naruto was practically exuding happiness after their impromptu race, despite losing to both of his teammates.

"I haven't had to run that fast in a while! Not since the last time-" the rest of the blondes sentence was cut off as Hiryuu and the rest of Naruto's charges dog-piled the boy.

"Oi! Cut that out. No teeth on the threads! HEY! TEETH! HELP, HELP!" the screams went on for a few more seconds before Hinata managed to come to Naruto's aid.

"Alright you mutts." the boy stated the minute he was on his feet. "I know we didn't win. So I'm afraid no treats for you... ya lazy old windbags!" sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry Naruto once again was buried under a pile of fur.

"Hey! Watch those paws... OW don't step there! You did that on purpose. I know where you SLEEP!"

Hinata couldn't help but grin as she watched Naruto playfully slap or headlock the various dogs as the climbed over and around him. Idle, unrealistic threats were tossed and countered with light chewing or brief tug-of-wars until Naruto finally made it to his knees and once again wrapped his arms around the necks of the animals. Head together the six sets of eyes wandered back and forth over each other for a full twenty seconds before Naruto continued.

"No extra treats from me today. But I'm a man of my word, so next time after we all train up a bit, I'll be sure to have them for you! But only if you help me beat emo-goth! It's a promise." all six heads rose and fell in understanding, seemingly satisfied Naruto unclipped the leases and lead the now perfectly behaved animals to their cages.

"Good luck with that, idiot." Sasuke taunted, though his tone lacked some of the harshness it use to have before Team 7 had formed.

"Don't think I forgot about you either missy!" Hinata heard Naruto's voice from around a few large cages. "I'll get you next time... and your little dogs too!"

Hearing no tones of bitterness or anger Hinata let herself smile. Naruto was joking with her! Hardly a new experience, but once in a while she couldn't help but grin whenever the boy proved he was comfortable chatting with her, even though she could barely manage a conversation with him before passing out.

Following the boys down the line of kennels as she unclipped her own leashes Hinata dropped the dogs off at their designated 'homes'. Making sure to give each of the animals a polite 'thank you' for their performance as well as a few dedicated seconds of ear scratches. After bidding the last dog farewell she stood up only to notice Naruto leaning against a row of kennels watching her.

"Your pretty good with animals." he mentioned with a smile.

"R-really?" she hadn't ever had a pet before, though these dogs were almost smart enough to be human so they probably didn't count.

"I think so. Though you got a ways to go before your as good as _me_." the boy mentioned sarcastically as he pointed to a few toothed and drooled on portions of his clothing. A glowing smile kept the words from being misinterpreted.

"I guess. D-do you have a-any tips?" Hinata replied, trying hard to be playful, though her voice came out more like pleading.

"Hah! Your too nice, tell the silly _mutts_ to shove off once in a while." the boy made sure to voice his opinion loudly, a few playful and half-threatening barks coming from the kennels in reply. "Yeah I called you mutts! Your all lucky I'm gonna need your fat furry butts to track down missing nin when I'm Hokage or I'd run you all into the ground just to prove my awesomeness!"

Shaking her head at the strange relationship Naruto seemed to have already developed with the Inuzuku clan animals Hinata followed the boy as he made his way back to the gate, sharing a few more lines of banter with the dogs along the way. As they reached the gate, where Sasuke was leaning against the wall waiting, the saw a tattooed Inuzuku making his way towards them. The average height male cocked his head of shaggy black hair after he reached them, the animals choosing that moment to loose a few short barks and howls, then gave them his full attention.

"Sounds like you all did a fantastic job. Hiryuu says you give great ear scratches Hyuuga. Do you have your mission scroll?" three sets of hands dove into various pockets before three sets of eyes widened.

"Where's Kakashi?" Naruto asked slowly.

"Ummm..." Hinata let her voice drift off as all three of them realized their notoriously tardy sensei had been left unsupervised.

"Hehe, funny thing is..." Naruto started only for the clan member before them to wave away the excuse.

"You kids got Kakashi for a sensei right? Tell you what, if you wanna give a few of the dogs a bath while we wait for him I'll tack that on as an extra D-rank mission for you. What do you say?" the older boy inquired.

"How many is a few?" Naruto replied cautiously. All three of the genin groaned as the clan members face split into a grin.

"Just a small group that went for a walk just now."

For a minute none of the genin could formulate a reply. Wash a dozen dogs that had just _dragged_ them all through town? Unless by some miracle Inuzuku hounds actually _liked_ baths Hinata suspected the 'washers' would all too quickly become the 'washees'. On the other hand Kakashi was bound to take _hours_ to amble his way over to the compound with the mission scroll.

"Alright you dirty mutts! I'm gonna give you the bath of a life-time! So line up and kiss your filthy stank good-bye!"

Sighing Hinata admitted that it would probably make the time go by quicker if they occupied the period with something productive. Maybe she would get lucky and the dogs she got would be as well-behaved as they had been on the majority of the recent 'walking' experience.

"_If I just explain it to them and ask I'm sure they'll be cooperative."_ she tried to convince herself as she made her way back to the kennels.

The laughing look on the first dogs face didn't give Hinata much confidence.

* * *

X

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Little snapshot of Danzo to start off with and some hints (or outright nudges) for you all to ponder, followed by some training and team 7's first D-rank! This chapter seriously kicked my butt for months and I'm still not thrilled with it but I'm feeling much more 'back in the grove' now. Decided not to showcase Naruto's new style this chapter but you'll get a taste soon and I promise it will be worth it.

Sorry... not hugely exciting stuff but I liked this D-rank mission idea, and how team 7 shows they can help pick each other up just by being together. Next chapter will have another small time-skip in it.

I saw a couple comments mentioning that it seems like Sasuke probably won't be going to Orochimaru for power. While this is an avenue I can take it is not the only one I'm considering using. I'd like to think I've shown I can be at least a little outside the 'box' in my thinking through this story so far, so don't count anything out yet!

Thoughts/comments? I'll be happy to see them! Thanks for reading and I'll try not to take so long with my next update.

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	11. Chapter 11

Yep it's another update! Yay!

"As always this is normal talking."

_"This is for thinking or emphasis"_

**"And finally this is for demons/gods/greater beings or added emphasis.**

Still need to edit a few things but I think this will help clear up the Hinata portion of the chapter a bit.

I don't own much of anything, least of all Naruto so don't sue me for what little I do have.

* * *

XI.

* * *

"_Concentrate on feeling the air around you. Let it rush along your skin and through your clothing. Wind is not like water, you must learn it's different surfaces, not currents, and anticipate the slightest breeze could change that shape or angle in an instant."_

Smooth inhale.

"_Similar to lightning you will never have to create it, for even in the depths of the earth or the ocean the air still lives inside your lungs, your heart, and your blood. All you need to do is use those tiny fragments to breath a fresh wind to life."_

Feel the rush of life-giving oxygen enter, the river that maintained the body it resided in shifting from purple-blue to bright red.

"_You will never need to fear it vanishing as fire is prone to do. Though wind can be just as difficult to grasp and control."_

It's color dwindled, dying out in a wave of purple-ish blue that spread through the river, but even then it's power remained within grasp.

"_Earth is difficult to shape, but will hold that form easily, wind is the opposite. Easy to shape, but impossible to sustain in a specific pattern without constant reinforcement and care. Remember these facts and wait, for the wind will whisper it's lessons to you if you but listen hard enough."_

Concentrate on the feeling of the wave as it slowly crept from the lungs to the mouth, sharpen and direct it, letting the chakra easily mix to give it a semblance of structure before releasing the construct from constraining lips. The jonin's words fading from the genin's mind at the same time.

"_Wind Technique: Air Bullet!"_

The sphere was actually more of a set of interlocking hexagons, like a honey-comb, bent roughly into a circular shape. The chakra maintained and accelerated the structure as it expanded roughly to the size of a basket-ball before the sound-waves had reached the rest of the audience's ears, giving off a tell-tale _'popping'_ noise that experienced shinobi would unanimously recognize as a wind technique. Speeding along the chakra that maintained the rigid structure quickly degenerated before falling completely apart a few meters into it's journey.

"Aw man. I thought I had it for sure that time." the blonde muttered as the technique dispersed with barely a whisper.

"The basic structure of your bullet is good Naruto, though you need to remember to create extra sets of 'surfaces' around the bullet the farther or harder you want it to hit." Kakashi mentioned flipping another page in his little orange book.

"Oh yeah! I got all caught up making sure the base structure was good I forgot to coat it." he grumbled before resuming the horse stance and slowly walking through the hand-seals for creating the bullet structure and subsequent 'coverings'. Fifteen seconds later Naruto inhaled deeply.

"_Wind Technique: Air Bullet!"_

This time the ball of air stayed the size of a softball till it impacted heavily against a training post across from the boy.

"YES!" Naruto cheered, launching instantly into a victory dance.

"How many layers." Kakashi asked, not looking up from his book.

"Umm... five I think?" Naruto replied.

"How many hand-seals."

"Five to form the basic bullet, two for each layer over that." the boy answered without pause.

"Not bad for less then two weeks of practice, but you'll need to cut that almost in half to use the technique effectively in combat. Don't forget the seals are used to imprint the 'shape' your chakra needs to take for a technique, the more you focus and memorize those shapes the less you'll need hand-seals. Ideally you'll be able to do this-" the orange book snapped shut, three quick seals were formed in the blink of an eye before a ball of wind shot from Kakashi's covered mouth. The technique snapped the training post Naruto had hit earlier in half, and rustled the wide oak that lay twice that distance further on.

"Three seals to form the base while I created the layers from memory at the same time. In total twenty layers." the jonin stated. "As you can see, memorizing the chakra 'shape' can increase your power as well since you can shape 'surfaces' quicker then a base."

"I'll never get tired of that." Naruto grinned as he watched the last of the fresh-made kindling scatter around what use to be the base of a training post.

"How is your wind manipulation coming?" Kakashi inquired, drawing him back to reality.

"Well I think I'm starting to really get the hang of this 'feel the surface' thing you talked about." Naruto mentioned with one hand behind his head.

"Show me." The blonde complied, closing his eyes and taking a long, slow inhale. After a brief pause he formed a rat seal and exhaled.

"_Surface. This is the core principal of all wind techniques. Feel where the difference between the waves of air reside. Then split them apart with your chakra. After that you can shape an individual current by manipulating its 'surface', turn it into a ball, a razor-thin arc, a thick wave, or whatever you think of. Once you can manipulate this 'surface' at will you shall become an unstoppable hurricane, relentlessly shifting and changing to meet whatever obstacle is in your path."_

Once again Naruto let Kakashi's advice guide him as he reached for the 'surface' of the air around him with his chakra. He found cracks in the air, where currents of air diverged or collided, then forced his chakra between them. The Chakra then acted like a void the air couldn't pass through, and Naruto quickly expanded the 'surface' he had created, shaping it around him in a tight circular spiral and connecting the ends to form a closed circuit before the air could escape. The loop complete Naruto shifted his attention, trying to keep the surface stable. With his usual piss-poor chakra control it was a constant struggle to keep hold of the 'surface' and he could feel parts of it constantly shifting even as he poured more effort into the manipulation.

"Interesting." the boy heard before he hesitantly cracked an eye open. The second quickly followed.

Before his eyes the very air shimmered. Through his chakra he could feel the surfaces, but for the first time since starting ninjutsu training under Kakashi almost two weeks ago Naruto could _see_ the effects. Tight arcs of wind whipped along invisible lines all around him, a low but steadily building howl as the trapped element increased in speed. He could feel the surface he created beginning to strain as Kakashi leaned closer and uncovered his red eye.

"Kakashi... It's getting... hard to hold..." he forced out in a strained tone as the wind continued to build pressure against his chakra surface.

"Definitely a closed loop... What is the accelerator... Are you flexing the chakra surface Naruto?"

"Kakashi!"

"That must be it, your expanding and contracting parts of the surface on a closed loop to build speed... and... Is this a Mobius ring? I should get Hinata over here to confirm... Naruto can you-" He felt the tiny rip, a sudden void in the spiral construct that surrounded him that almost instantly split open and released a howling torrent of wind in a circle around the boy.

Undeterred by Naruto's continued shouts Kakashi simply extended a hand wreathed in crackling electricity and swiped along the length of his body, the air parting around him like water around a rock. The rest of the immediate area around Naruto was not so lucky. Four long spiraling lines in the dirt extended out into the field for almost a meter. After that the same spiral-like pattern could be seen in the grass for another meter though it lacked the force to penetrate the soil.

"You are quite surprising." Kakashi mentioned without so much as a blink. "Why did you make a closed loop?"

"Your... not suppose too do that?" Naruto replied hesitantly.

"Normally when people think of a 'surface' it is almost impossible for them to visualize it as a 'loop' like structure. Most of the time people think of it as a floor, wall, or once in a while a ball. Actually making a closed loop surface often takes years of practice unless you happen to think more then a little outside the box. So while this isn't unheard of it is quite rare, even more-so with the tiny percentage of wind favoring ninja in Konoha." Kakashi explained, tucking his red eye away. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to do that one more time when I get Hinata over here do you?"

"Isn't this kinda dangerous?" Naruto asked, pointing to the smooth lines that extended out around him.

"Maybe to civilians." Kakashi teased with an eye-smile.

"Oh fine. Go grab Hinata, I didn't want your company anyway. Just remember it isn't my fault when you get shredded by all this awesomeness." a small hand swept up and down in front of his body.

"Mah, you don't think lil' old me can keep you kids safe? I'm hurt Naruto." the eye-smile never slipped.

"Just get out of here you porn-addict." the boy scoffed in reply.

"Be back soon." with that the jonin '_poofed_' into smoke.

"Yep, totally believe that." sighing Naruto started running through the seals for his '_Air Bullet' _technique. As eager as he was to try and make the closed spiral again Kakashi seemed interested in it, and Naruto wasn't going to risk having the jonin's undivided attention for a while just to try a new technique that may or may not backfire on him without the man nearby.

"Lets see..." Kakashi had done twenty layers in almost less time then Naruto took blinking. Just more proof of how insane ninja could become with the right mindset.

"_Now how long does it take me to get to twenty?"_ the boy pondered as the chakra bullet took firmer shape in his mind with each seal. Five seals in the bullet was complete and Naruto started adding layers. Funny thing about the layers was they didn't make the technique any bigger, it would be the same size with five layers as it was with five-hundred, just faster and stronger. Each layer was unique though, requiring different seals and exponentially more chakra the higher you went. Kakashi had said the boy had enough chakra to fire off five or ten layered bullets for hours, but one hundred layer bullet would knock even him unconscious. Naruto knew the seals to get up to twenty layers, so he slowly walked through them, trying to imprint the different yet identical 'shapes' in his mind.

It took over a minute. Lucky for him after the chakra had been shaped by the seals he didn't need to focus on maintaining it's shape or it would be impossible for him to get above two or three layers.

"_Fucking slow."_ Naruto admitted mentally.

"_Wind Technique: Air Bullet!"_

"Also totally worth it!" he yelled as his own super-powered bullet of air ripped through another training post, a slight hitch in his breathing from using that much chakra in one shot the only physical sign of his efforts.

"Well might as well do it again while I wait."

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=/

"Good, how quickly can you move the tendrils?"

"T-together or separately?"

"Separately."

Several whips of water lashed out at the jonin as he effortlessly shifted about, orange book firmly in hand. Even the tiny one that Hinata snuck through the grass as a sneak attack was seen through and avoided without the jonin moving his eyes from the page. If she hadn't been through this exercise several times Hinata might have been crushed, as it was she was merely slightly irritated.

"K-kakashi!" she snarled before dropping the technique in shock at her own tone, several small wet patches spreading through the river-bank grass in front of her.

"Yes?" he asked with an eye-smile.

"N-not-thing." she stuttered as her face lit up like a cherry lightbulb.

"Something bothering you?" the older man continued teasing, before cocking his head to the side in a manner Hinata recognized. The jonin was shuffling through memories from one or more of his clones, of course, there was nothing that gave away any indication this person wasn't a clone as well. The jonin was sneaky like that.

"Your getting much faster, I'd like you to focus on moving greater volumes of liquid and experimenting with different fluids for the next day or two." the jonin mentioned after returning to his book. "For now, instead of using _'Water Whips'_ show me your '_Water Prison'._"

Hinata nodded and shifted through the seals, focusing on accuracy and smooth transitions over speed, using her chakra to shift the flowing current of the river behind her and gain control over a portion of the water. After gaining a leash on the fluid she completed the seals and stretched an arm towards Kakashi. The jonin strode forward without hesitation and let her place her palm against his chest, at that brief touch she let the chakra explode.

"_Water technique: Water Prison!"_

The river-water she controlled easily traced the path her chakra laid out from the river to the jonin instructor, despite the fact that it flowed through the air instead of along the ground, where it wrapped around him as an orb of clear fluid. Hinata grunted, ignoring how coarse the outburst was, as she began rapidly approaching her chakra limits even as the orb barely grew big enough to encompass the jonin's chest.

"I d-don't think-"

"A little more Hinata." the jonin cut her off gently. "I know this technique is very chakra intensive and difficult on you, that's why it will be instrumental in expanding your reserves as long as you put everything you can into it."

Trying not to whimper as she felt her chakra coils stretch uncomfortably from the surges of energy Hinata grit her teeth and kept channeling. The orb of water continued to expand, so slowly Hinata almost convinced herself it wasn't, even as the discomfort slowly turned to irritation. The burning, prickling sensation almost like an freshly woken body part was particularly keen in her right arm, the one held towards her Sensei.

"Excellent, you can release the technique now." Kakashi stated right before Hinata collapsed, she was all to eager to follow his instructions and the orb of water easily sloughed off the man's water-resistant gear into the ground.

"Your showing definite signs of improvement. I suspect you'll be able to complete the prison within a few more months of weekly attempts." Kakashi praised as he helped Hinata back to her feet. "Mind coming to take a look at something for me?"

"Of course I d-don't mind" Hinata wheezed, the painful irritation slowly dissipating back into mere discomfort.

"Follow me if you would." and he was off, not at a grueling pace but definitely one that Hinata would have to stretch her legs out to keep up with. Habitually activating her Byakugan to search for traps along the route Hinata pushed off with her trembling legs after her Sensei.

Spotting traps in their usual training grounds had become routine, Kakashi and Naruto had constantly applauded her growing skill at spotting the jonin's traps. Then the man decided to switch out with Naruto and Sasuke.

The first day Hinata had found everything the boys tried laughably easy. The second was no different, she even, in a brief moment of confidence, told them they shouldn't use the same spots twice to plant traps. Two more days had passed and even though the traps were getting better she had very little difficulty with locating them and actually told the boy's off for their lack-luster efforts. She had come to regret that decision slightly.

Sasuke had the precision, mathematical skills, and knowledge of how to make a trap non-lethal by just the tiniest of margins. Naruto had the ingenuity to by-pass Hinata's usual advantage of being able to see the trap and it's components. The fifth day Hinata was introduced to a training ground filled with multi-triggered traps, misleading wiring jobs, fake explosive notes, and thrice redundant triggers.

The worst part was when Naruto and Sasuke walked through it with her, after mentioning that the course had been constructed completely by clones who were camping out in the woods until told to dispel by Kakashi so they knew as much about it as she did. Less actually since they couldn't even see much if any of the traps. Needless to say at the end of the grueling quarter-mile walk all three of the genin had a more then healthy respect for traps, and desperate need for a shower after a particularly insidious trap dropped a skunk in their midst.

Naruto, after the clones dispelled and he had his moment of glory knowing he was responsible for much of the pain and embarrassment team 7 had just been through, had decided to continue his praise and encouragement of Hinata. Not that doing so stopped him from creating a small batch of clones every morning that would continue to hone his trap-setting skills, stealth and Hinata's observational abilities. Hinata often saw the blonde asking their third team-mate for help with some of the more 'thinking' heavy parts of the traps, like how fast or at what angle he could launch a decent sized boulder down a hill at them, without guaranteeing flattened pancake-genin. Even if they could only scrape by death on the skin of their teeth.

Working with the mastermind behind the traps was paying off very well for Hinata. Though she still didn't even attempt to disarm Naruto's traps, the few disastrous attempts she had made so far proved the boy's traps were perhaps even more deadly when you tried to get rid of them then they were if you just walked right into them, she now spotted the _real_ traps more often then not. She also developed a fresh set of paranoia's every time she set foot on one of their regular training grounds that had led to her developing her Byakugan to the point her activation was almost instinctual and instantaneous in danger. Getting hit by one barely sub-sonic paint-balloon was bad, Naruto or Sasuke getting hit by four more because she didn't see the second trigger on a trap go off was worse.

Today Naruto had apparently gone easy on them as Hinata could only find the barest hints of deceit in the few traps she spotted on their way to link up with Naruto. Wisely she redoubled her efforts to spot the boy's ploy. Her paranoia didn't relax even as Kakashi landed next to Naruto and struck up a conversation. Ignoring the boys for the moment Hinata throughly inspected every inch of the area immediately around them, then twenty-five meters out, then fifty before she was satisfied enough to listen in on the discussion.

"-hink I got the first layer, it's kinda shaped like this." The blonde said as he made a few strange gestures and shapes in the air with his hands. He always seemed to light up when people gave him their undivided attention and Hinata loved to see that extra-wide smile, of course only after she was sure they were safe. She decided to check the area just one more time.

"You'll have to show me in a bit Naruto." Kakashi said, breaking the boys tirade without cutting him off and stalling Hinata's paranoid behavior. "For now show me that loop again."

"_Such a great talent."_ Hinata grumbled in her head, _"Sure I can stop someones heart or lungs with one finger, can move gallons of water with just my mind, but I still can't just hold a normal conversation."_ Scuffing the dirt a bit Hinata sighed and let the thought go, she was getting better, just not quite fast enough it seemed. Maybe once she didn't have to be worried about her every breath setting off some trap or another she could switch to developing her small-talk skills.

"Hinata. Tell me what you see." Kakashi's statement cut through her musing, instantly bring the girl's attention to a point.

Glancing at Naruto, then blushing and refocusing on the spiral like loops of chakra that surrounded the boy, Hinata studied them for a few seconds before cautiously reaching out to trace one though she was careful not to actually touch it.

"Careful... I don't know how long I can hold this." Naruto warned, causing Hinata to flush even deeper.

"_He's worried about me!"_ she almost squealed, but that girlish part of her mind stayed firmly in the background as she studied the art before her.

"It... It only h-has one edge... H-how is that p-possible?" she wondered out loud, for indeed the spiral shape that extended from Naruto roughly a few inches only had one edge no mater how she traced it.

"It's not a Mobius ring based on your tracing Hinata, but it shares some similarities. A single-edged spiral... You are a strange child indeed Naruto." Kakashi mused out loud, motioning for Hinata to back up.

"Losing it!" Naruto suddenly shouted and Hinata, even facing the other way, was able to see the channels of chakra Naruto had constructed rip and fall apart, the now deadly air currents behind them howling as they tore free.

A quick microsecond of panic later Hinata channeled chakra to her tattoos, expelling a volume of water from both that she instantly grabbed. This particular water she had been using since they started ninjutsu exercises and its familiarity with her chakra allowed it to respond quicker then normal to her demands.

"_Water technique: Water Whips!"_

The tendrils of water eagerly followed her instructions, forming a loose shield behind and to her left the instant before the manipulated wind ripped partially through it. Heart thundering Hinata focused on not hyper-ventilating by slowly resealing the volume of water back into her wrist tattoos.

'_Naruto almost hurt me!' _she could feel her body locking up, shutting down as visions of red, slitted eyes and harsh, barking laughter threatened to drown her.

"Damn it Sensei!" Naruto snarled as he moved to Hinata's side. "Are you ok Hinata?"

Hinata didn't answer, too busy trying to calm herself down. '_It's ok, he didn't mean it, he even warned me before hand that he couldn't control the technique. Naruto doesn't hate me.'_ despite the valiant attempt her mind still echoed with the harsh, mocking laughter that should never have been possible for a certain blonde to voice.

"Interesting use of storage tattoos." Kakashi stated, crouching down in front of her and looking at her wrists. "Genin usually don't think to store anything but weapons or tags in a storage seal."

"T-thank y-you." Hinata mumbled, still breathing hard and trying to look anywhere but at Naruto. She had been hoping to use her secret weapon to finally land a hit on the jonin in a few days but couldn't properly mourn the loss of it at the moment as it had saved her potential bodily harm.

"Your reaction time was excellent Hinata." the jonin mentioned, looking her in the eye. "I was expecting Naruto to lose control but didn't expect you to handle the fallout alone. I won't let you get hurt by something like this."

"Well thanks for letting me know you wanted Hinata to walk right into my new technique! I could have... Well... I dunno, been more careful or something." Naruto scuffed his boot for a second, then lashed a punch out at the jonin. Without even looking Kakashi batted the swing out of the air.

"Your still a jerk." Naruto huffed after a few more ineffective attacks.

"I had it under control Naruto."

"Uh huh." sarcasm done Naruto turned to face Hinata again. "Your sure your ok? This was kinda the second time I actually managed to use that technique so I don't know how strong it is or anything."

"I-i'm alright." his eyes were clear, sky blue, and that helped Hinata calm down more then anything else.

"Right, now that that's settled we should go pick up Sasuke and finish up the day with a mission." Kakashi said, though he took the time to grab Naruto and administer a long noogie before taking off.

"Hey, I'm not done with you sleazeball!" Naruto shouted, almost taking off after Kakashi, before grinding himself to a halt and turning to Hinata.

"Your alright?"

"I'm f-fine Naruto." Hinata conceded after a few seconds. "Just a-a little surp-prized."

"Really? Awesome, cause I was really like 'Woah!' the first time I did that and then Kakashi said he was gonna go get you and I still haven't even come up with a name for it yet cause an awesome technique like that should have an awesome name right? Like that shield-thingy you made has a name right?" the boy explained after a relieved sigh.

"Y-yes?" Hinata replied with a cautious white lie.

"That's what I thought! So I was thinking something like '_Super spiral' _or '_Death ring'_ or something." the boy continued even as he started after the rapidly diminishing Kakashi.

Squeaking slightly Hinata jumped after him and focused on feeding her paranoia by scanning the woods for traps within traps while Naruto continued to launch a barrage of technique names at her, seemingly at random now. A few minutes later the trio had landed next to a rather tired and worn looking Sasuke and his Kakashi-clone.

"How about _'Fuzzy tails'_?"

"What the hell are you talking about, idiot?" Sasuke asked before Hinata could voice her own, much more polite, statment.

"My new killer technique!" Naruto shouted back, instantly taking a horse stance with a rat seal.

"N-Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, even as she backed away.

"I got it! _Wind Technique: Spiral Needle!_"

Sasuke, taking his hint from Hinata and Kakashi, dove out of the way as a wave of spiraling wind blades expanded from Naruto. Paying attention to the actual movement of Naruto's chakra this time Hinata saw the wind released had indeed formed four needle-sharp vertical lines of wind and chakra that expanded in a spiral pattern around the boy, roughly equal to him in height though they fell apart rather quickly after the first few feet. For a moment no-one but Naruto moved as the boy danced his victory jig.

"Kakashi." Sasuke inquired.

"Yes." the jonin replied, nose back in his book.

"Did Naruto actually create a technique?" the Uchiha continued.

"More like he gave a name to a rather unique use of Suna's basic wind manipulation exercise." the jonin stated like it was nothing special.

"How did _Naruto_ of all people find a _'rather unique use of Suna's basic wind manipulation exercise'_?"

"It might have something to do with his training methods. You know, constant repetition of five or six clones at once till he manages to figure something out or drop himself by thinking too hard."

"Can we expect this to happen often?" this raised the jonins eye from the book.

"Logically? No. Naruto has not created an original jutsu, he has manipulated an existing elemental training technique into an offensive technique with his unique advantages of poor chakra control, ridiculous amount of chakra, and training methods not available to normal ninja. There is a very large difference between those two things, in fact I'm sure both you and Hinata could find ways to use your basic elemental manipulation exercise as either an offensive or defensive technique, perhaps both if you really put your mind too it. Actually that sounds interesting... Maybe later. However since when has Naruto not surprised us?" the man explained.

"Alright. Finally... why the hell did you teach him a Suna manipulation technique? How do you even know it?"

"Because I thought it would be more beneficial for him to know how to interact with the wind itself, like you can do with fire or Hinata can with water, then just how to use it to throw blades of wind around. You did know that Konoha has never had many powerful wind technique users, right? Why shouldn't I teach him the way the _best _wind users in the ninja world learn? And for how I learned it? Please, I'm a jonin who can memorize things after seeing them _once_, there is a multitude of things I know that I probably shouldn't." the jonin scoffed.

"So... Mission?" Naruto asked, finally done with his dancing.

"I agree, now is as good a time as any." Sasuke added, rubbing some of the scrapes and dirt that littered his body.

"Nice. I could use some more pocket money, I saw some of those heavy kunai emo-boy carries getting restocked and figured I could use a couple that were designed with more then throwing in mind." the blonde continued.

"With your crazy style you probably need every advantage you can get." Sasuke sneered, though Hinata swore he could almost have been playing.

"I recall someone getting their panties in a twist first time they saw it." Naruto snickered back.

"Unorthodox styles are always difficult to adapt too. Yours is almost the definition of 'Unorthodox'." the Uchiha stated, waving his hand. "I'll admit you did put up more effort then I expected."

"Right. Cause rubbing your face in the dirt not once or twice but three times is just a _little_ more effort then you expected from me." Hinata could see the hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck starting to stand up.

"_Oh no! Have to stop them. Not the eyes."_ she thought, even as Naruto began an evil, choking kind of laugh that Kakashi had taught him to use in conjunction with his taijutsu. The sound frayed nerves and Hinata could feel her body tightening up even though Naruto wasn't even looking at her.

"I recall kicking at least three times that number of clones to death before you ever touched me." the other boy retaliated.

"Really? My memory must be slipping... how about we try it again?" Naruto slyly inquired, and Hinata saw _those_ eyes again.

_Red, slitted and madly rolling eyes. Drooling fangs on full display as a wheezing, choking bark of laughter expelled from the dark cavern behind them. Barely constrained madness creeping towards her on all fours, a sneer of complete disgust and filthy **hunger, **its eyes finally locking onto her. They would never move again, locked to her own as if they were the only thing in the world, at least until she had been defiled, devoured, and whatever survived was discarded. It could only be madness, this was not her angel, there was not a trace of the boy there any longer. No, this could only be a demon from hell itself..._

"Mah, lets not get carried away children." Kakashi interrupted the boys before their banter could escalate to blows to more then each others ego. Hinata felt very pathetic when she sighed in relief.

"Naruto. _Snickering Cackle_ is _not_ used for settling petty disputes. You disrespect the forms by using them without the intent to kill and disturb your allies." the jonin continued, the blonde after catching sight of Hinata's distress instantly moving to her side with a smile. Even though the smile helped Hinata still couldn't help a shudder. After seeing those eyes, that expression when Kakashi told him to unveil _'Snickering Cackle'_ for them...

She had been terrified to the point of being unable to move, almost hoping Naruto had suddenly showed prodigal talent in genjutsu and had captured her in one instead. In fact the first thing she tried was to dispel a genjutsu. But the monster in Naruto's place had laughed, then multiplied as it crept upon the two disturbed genin. Each monster moving in a jerky, yet sinuous gait, all four limbs hugging the ground. After they made eye contact that monster would never look away again.

Then the dying started.

Sasuke had responded much better then herself, able to at least move and retaliate against the terrifying visions. Hinata had 'died' three times before she finally managed to start moving, the snickers that never stopped, clouding her mind and creating more and more doubts the longer she listened. Once she started moving she had almost run. It was torture to see her Naruto, her golden haired angel, turn into such a beastly vision. Until Sasuke managed to tell her it wasn't real she had been almost frozen in shock. Then she had gotten angry, angry like she had never been before.

Who was this monster to wear Naruto's skin? She would rip it off and expose them. But every blow she aimed was redirected by the monsters as they worked in tandem to both attack her and defend themselves. Some would overextend themselves to nick her, others would pass perfect opportunities to strike her only to protect their twins. It was both maddening and terrifying at once. Her reflexes and extra years of training were all that let her finally turn the tide in her favor, finding rhythms to the monsters attacks she had found a few tiny windows of retaliation. However every time she used one it would disappear forever, the monsters learning new tricks even as she slew them.

After what felt like hours Kakashi had suddenly appeared and called an end to the spar. In the blink of an eye the monsters had all disappeared and only Naruto remained, a bright, vibrant grin on his face as he mercilessly teased Sasuke. The change was so abrupt Hinata almost thought she had a nightmare, but her soaked clothing, cold sweat of fear mixing with the heat of her exertion, and aching muscles promised otherwise.

After the spar their jonin assured her Naruto was perfectly fine, that the whole thing was part of the style. Naruto became frightening by design and for a good purpose, and while Hinata had to agree the style made Naruto far more deadly then he was originally, Kakashi had put something inside Naruto that now stimulated the deepest fears inside Hinata, right down to her core and she hated it. The only scarier thought was what if he had just brought out what was already there?

Had Naruto ever truly been good? Or had he really tricked them that fully? All she knew was those evil red eyes that came out when he used Kakashi's new style looked far too natural on the boy to be a coincidence...

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

Uzumaki Naruto.

The idiot was strong. Not as strong as Sasuke himself, that would be ridiculous, but he had far more talent then their class had assumed. He served his beta role perfectly, constantly growing and forcing Sasuke to grow as well to keep his firm lead. Sasuke even found he almost liked having the blonde around these days, when he wasn't shouting or speaking so fast no one could understand him. Naruto had learned to ask more of the right questions, but most importantly to listen. Of course he would never voice these facts to the blonde, even under the worst forms of Yamaka mind torture.

Hyuuga Hinata.

The girl was starting to cause him frustration to an extreme, almost as much as Naruto was capable of. He could see it every time he looked at her now, lurking just beneath the surface. He wanted to cut it out, rip the sick cancer from her being that crippled her. Not that she wasn't 'acceptable' as she was, of the females available to be on a team with him she would be his first and only pick, but it was maddening to see such a pathetic defect mar her otherwise potentially spotless qualifications.

Simple fear.

She was terrified of almost everything when they first became a team, even speaking had been difficult for her. While she had been making slow, acceptable improvements over the first few weeks there had been a noticeable back-slide in her progress the day Kakashi gave Naruto the okay to use his newest taijutsu.

A style based on multiple people working in tandem was difficult to create, harder to use, and often made individuals far less of a threat once brought into the one-on-one field... Unless you were Uzumaki Naruto with the ability to forever make perfect replicas with all his cunning and skill, and in that instance it seemed _almost_ tailor made to maximize on the boy's strengths. The psychological attack that came with the technique was just an added bonus really, but it had proven far too much for Hinata to handle.

She still spoke more often and longer, tried to hide herself from the world less, and even fought with just as much precision and skill as ever. Until Naruto's eyes shifted to that eery, spine tingling red mode that Sasuke had to assume could only be a bloodline technique. Even he had felt hesitant and uncertain for a moment, like he had been pinned under the gaze of an infinitely greater being. Of course once he had that thought and remembered there was nothing greater then an Uchiha the majority of the pressure had eased off of him. Hinata's weakness to fear had caused her to lose pathetically. To lose, even poorly, to Naruto was acceptable when the boy was demonstrating a style neither of them had any real knowledge about. To lose completely and without attempting retaliation was not.

Tossing his paintbrush down Sasuke inspected his side of the fence. Perfected in a way only an Uchiha could. He would deal with Hinata before they turned in this mission and were dismissed for the night, otherwise he would end up wasting his own time worrying about this. How to approach her though?

If he was too blunt he might break her more, to soft and he wouldn't get a noticeable change. This was the one area he did not expect to preform flawlessly in merely because of his Uchiha blood. He had spent so much time ignoring others, especially girls, that his social skills were certainly rusty at best.

"Done Sensei." he called to a nearby tree where Kakashi sat, book in hand.

"Why don't you give Hinata a hand then." the jonin replied without looking up.

For some reason his mouth was dry and he seemed to be experiencing a little difficulty maintaining his casual stride as he rounded the fence to find Hinata crouched with her knees to her chest as she stroked the paint onto the bottom of the fence. She had a shy smile on, seemingly at peace with the world. At that moment she looked...

"_Almost beautiful... Serene actually"_ crouching down next to her Sasuke picked up a brush and set to work. Mulling his situation over in his mind.

Vanilla and lavender.

"Good taste in perfume. Lightly applied so as not to overwhelm the senses, even for some of the clans with minor enhancements. Subtle and thoughtful." a start, though his tone would probably need work if he wanted to actually talk _with_ her instead of _at_ her.

"O-oh!" she yelped, falling backwards for a second before her free hand caught her.

Sasuke studiously ignored the fact that his own was inches from her shoulders, several feet from where it had been before Hinata started falling. Occurrences like this were starting to happen depressingly often, he had even caught _Naruto_ a few times after particularly nasty traps went off, he blamed it on the constant threat they were training under. After Hinata or Naruto dragged his ass out of the way a few times it was not good form to ignore potential harm towards them when he could easily intervene. He knew exactly how painful the traps Naruto set could be, he had designed plenty of them himself.

"T-thank you." she replied, after a few awkward seconds.

"You're acting weird." he started, instantly knowing the minute the words were out they were wrong. Tightness in her shoulders and around her eyes, he had screwed up.

"_Have to get her talking"_ he snarled internally. _"What can we talk about?"_

"They say that Hyuuga can see everything about a person. What do you think?"

"I... H-hyuuga techniques do rely on m-many visual ques and-d tells. Our bloodline i-is famed for its ab-bility to _see_ what others can n-not. B-but I don't think that is all th-that there is to see ab-bout a p-person." almost a speech from the young girl, perhaps he was doing better then he thought.

"So what do you think hides from your sight?" questions, questions were good, keep her talking until he could lead her to the issue they both couldn't mention outright.

She became noticeably more nervous for a second, perhaps not expecting him to continue the conversation, or maybe something to do with Naruto as Sasuke noticed her eyes dart towards the blonde where he painted across the yard.

"I-i... can't see p-peoples h-heart-ts." she mumbled, ducking her head to let her bangs hide her eyes.

"I thought the Byakugan could see past the skin? Are the great Hyuuga just con artists?" Hinata may not have much faith or pride in her family, but Sasuke knew she treasured her abilities for the extra safety they gave her team so she would rise to defend them.

"No..." she started, but trailed off as Sasuke looked at her. He made sure to keep his face as natural as possible. "I can see t-through a-any... any _thing. _Y-you know that!_"_

"I don't need to see through your eyes to 'see' that." he scoffed, lightly though. "So what is it about the heart, that can't be seen, that troubles you?"

For a minute Hinata chewed her lip, something new, and Sasuke could see warring desires to talk and to keep her fears unvoiced warring across her face. Slowly, ever so slowly she raised her head to stare into his eyes.

"_When you look at me... what do you see?"_ Sasuke wondered for a moment before brushing the thought aside as Hinata spoke.

"Intention."

"Aren't those usually something you see through action?" Sasuke kept his head turned towards the girl as he slowly began to apply the white paint to the wood before him.

"Un-nless the p-person wants too t-trick you." she was blushing, ducking her head and furiously running a dry paintbrush along any wood she could reach.

"So you think someone is tricking you?" casual, he had to keep in mind that she was fragile, so very fragile sometimes.

"_She won't share anything if she catches any hint of dismissal. She'll curl up and try to protect herself."_ so he made sure nothing in his stance or tone hinted at anything but curiosity.

"M-mayb-be?" Sasuke was not amused at the half answer.

"He's not smart enough for that."

"W-what?" if he didn't have to be so careful Sasuke would have laughed at the way Hinata's face went pale. Of course he knew what was bothering her, unlike a certain blonde he knew how to watch and put two and two together. She couldn't actually think she had hidden her worry from him, or Kakashi? But he wasn't here to laugh at her, no matter how silly this situation was.

"Whoever is trying to trick you." he explained, struggling not to sound condescending. "Your smart enough to catch him at any trick."

"But..." Sasuke sighed, then froze when he realized where his hand was. _How_ his hand was.

Pinky and ring finger curled to tightly hold the paintbrush, said brush was depleted of much of its cargo so no drops of white fell. His pointer was mostly extended, curving slightly down near the second knuckle, the middle in a similar position though lined up tip-to-tip with his pointer. Both extended finger-tips rested lightly against the smooth, creamy white skin in the center of Hinata's forehead.

He couldn't move. He could still feel Hinata twitch when his fingers had first brushed along her skin. He had sensed her distraught, her frustration with her situation. But why? Why was _this _how he reacted. He was trying to give her the courage to talk about her fears, had to reassure her and make her feel comfortable talking, but he had ended up using the motion of a man he dreamed of murdering.

"Sas-suke?" her voice instantly galvanized his body, his hand flying away like it had been burned.

Breathing hard Sasuke plunged his brush into the paint and furiously swiped at the wood, not even bothering to lay an even coat. His heart thundered and he could only see those dead eyes as his brother ran him through again and again. Hear the smooth sliding of skin parting over the edge of a kunai. He couldn't feel it, couldn't feel the pain but it was happening and he knew it. His mind was completely focused on the image of his brother before him. When his senses returned Sasuke saw his handi-work.

Random splotches of paint covered the wood. It was more like finger-painting then any proper use of a brush. Resisting the urge to vomit Sasuke turned and saw Hinata barely breathing as she tried not to tremble. He hated it when she trembled.

"Stop!" he hissed, dropping the brush and planting both his hands on her shoulders. He could feel it, her fear and hesitation made him want to puke and cry at once, he was not allowed to show such weaknesses.

"You are better then this!" he kept his voice low, barely controlled. "You are one of the few girls who I can say that about. You hide your own pain, so don't expect us to show you our own. You tremble and cower, worried about what or what not he might be doing or thinking. Stop that, if you are worried about him face him. If he attacks you, you hit back. If he scares you, you _overcome_ him. I know you can do that much, trust me if you don't trust yourself!"

Trust. Oh how the word burned. He didn't trust anyone. He expected his team to watch his back. He expected the council to push him into marriage, or whore-house if needed, within months and tell him to renew the Uchiha clan before his personal quest for vengeance could truly begin. He expected Kakashi to teach him everything he could learn as quickly as possible. He expected to feel Itachi's blood on his hands one day. Some of his expectations were lofty and perhaps unrealistic, but they were mostly logical. None of them required him to trust. Yet here he was telling a shivering, pathetic wretch that she could _trust_ him.

That he might honestly mean it was the reason for the burn. That meant she had _value_. Having _value_ meant he _cared_. If he _cared_ and whatever bond they shared could be torn away and he would _hurt_. If he _hurt_ anymore he would die. If he gave her any value she would become a weakness, and he couldn't afford any weaknesses. She could easily rival him as a shinobi, perhaps even best him in the right situation, but she was still so very, very fragile.

For a moment she was indignant, almost drawing herself up to speak down at him like a proper Hyuuga. He would have relished _that_ verbal confrontation. Instead she broke half-way there, crumbling as her mask gave out and her worries came to light.

"W-ho is h-he?" she finally whispered, so quiet Sasuke almost missed it. Ignoring her for a while Sasuke focused on fixing the botched job he made of the fence.

"I don't know." he finally muttered, his frustration leaking into his voice. "Why don't you ask him?"

"Do y-you think that will wo-ork?"

"How about you _try_ before giving up? Why don't you go over there and ask him? Why don't you take action for _once in your life!_" petty. He wasn't suppose to be petty.

He didn't look at her. He couldn't. It hurt him to do that and he knew what that meant. If he felt remorse now... Value. She wasn't suppose to have value and he therefore shouldn't care. He could however, be painfully aware of how still she sat.

"I got on this team." she whispered. "They d-didn't think I c-could. B-but I d-did! I acted."

"So now you just have to do it again. You will never get anything if you don't." don't look at anything but the paint. Smooth it, even strokes, even coats. His every nerve felt it when Hinata shakily rose to her feet, paintbrush forgotten in the dirt. He couldn't watch, but he could feel her walk away, towards their oblivious third team-mate.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Kakashi, of course.

"Shut up Sensei. I was hoping the source of the problem would grow a pair of braincells to rub together. Then I wouldn't be in this fucking position." the black-haired boy retorted as the jonin leaned over the fence.

"He trusts you, and Hinata." Kakashi replied casually. "He always speaks his mind, most of it anyway, and expects you two to do the same. He won't and doesn't know how to spot problems like this yet, but he knows you will help him with them."

A brief chuckle and a lighter giggle crossed from the other side of the yard, Sasuke rolled his eyes and kept painting, even as he snuck glances at the two children splashing each other with paint. He felt a brief smirk cross his lips, then turned back to his own painting, rolling the new emotions around in his head.

"Is it suppose to be this hard." Sasuke whispered, quietly hoping Kakashi didn't hear. "Caring for people again?"

"The hardest struggle a ninja can face. And also the one that will make or break us all in the end. You can't run from forming bonds with people, I've been in your shoes Sasuke. I ignored my teammates because they weren't good enough in my mind, but in the end they made those bonds with me despite my own selfish intentions." the jonin sighed and rubbed his hand over the face of his headband. "These two trust you. They will do it for life if you ever decide to trust them as well."

"Hn." he had too much to think about to say more. Budding camaraderie and mutual trust, however slight, felt so foreign after years alone. Kakashi was right about things far more then Sasuke would ever admit, Hinata's acceptance of his views on both herself and Naruto was one of the more obvious , or maybe because of years alone Sasuke found these attachments were already becoming more important then they should to him. Not so important as reviving the Uchiha after killing his brother, but much more then just expensive, disposable tools would warrant.

Looking at the splattered paint one more time Sasuke swallowed when he saw he had painted the kanji for 'death' somewhere in his daze.

Trust only gave you something else to lose and Sasuke had lost too much already.

/=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-/

"You were looking for me?" old bones could be heard creaking as the withered man in the too-stiff chair turned to face him. The sun had just gone down and the streets outside were coming to life with tiny globes of street-lights and signs.

"So you did see my signal." the old man replied, tamping a fresh batch of tobacco into his pipe.

"The 'Icha Icha' paradise book laying on the sill was pretty blatant, Hokage." the silver haired jonin casually replied as he lounged against the wall.

"How is team 7 doing these days?" the Hokage inquired as he set the tip of a finger alight to start his pipe.

_'The shy princess'_ the most graceful and caring of his students. Simultaneously the weakest, yet strongest of the three. The others would find it natural to fight for her, to care for her, but she would not need such a sacrifice. She could beat them both into submission and finish the job herself, or chain herself willingly to the gallows if that was what became necessary to keep her people alive.

"Training wise they are above the general genin curve. Hinata has made many gains in her original hesitant behavior as well as showing quick and accurate control of her chakra, she also has an extremely high resistance to genjutsu through her _Byakugan_ bloodline. She is still rather fragile mentally but with a supportive atmosphere that weakness is diminishing at an acceptable rate. She knows her stuff and she's willing to learn whatever she needs to get better, I don't think I've ever heard of a Hyuuga jumping head-first into ninjutsu so full-heartedly before."

_'The brooding avenger.' _arrogance was genetic flaw with Uchiha, but the boy might be saved in time. He would be powerful, but never like Itachi. He would have to learn to trust again. When he managed that he will find a type of strength that Itachi cannot match. Two friends who would charge hell with nothing but their spit to help him.

"Sasuke honestly didn't need any work from me taijutsu wise to be worthy of chunin rank, and his ninjutsu will be in that range shortly as well. His genjutsu has to wait till his Sharingan awakens or he'll have to learn it all over again from scratch anyway, though he can spot and dispel minor D and occasionally C rank genjutsu's easily enough already. He has recently started to actively interact with both his teammates outside required parameters. Hopefully this leads to him actively taking part in the lives of the other two, something he needs more then they might."

"Both of them are excellent ninja and should have no issues rising quickly in rank or prestige, just as you originally expected, Hokage."

"And our blonde rascal?" if Kakashi didn't know better he would almost have thought there was a faint hint of favoritism in Sandaime's tone.

_'Pandora's box.'_ an object of legend from a foreign land. It was said to have contained all the evil of the world at one time, until by a foolish mortals hands the box was opened and the evil spread. Easy to see the container of the most evil and loathsome of the demons as such, but Pandora's box held one other thing. It held hope. So that even in a world with such horrors those who lived in it could find strength. Naruto would give the other two his very best and beyond simply because he could, and in doing so could pull both of them up from the slums of depression they reside in.

"Surprising at every turn. He shows so much progress in one-on-one training I'm willing to go on record stating his training in the academy was sabotaged. Over the last month between Umino Iruka and myself, Naruto has pushed his taijutsu from laughable to above average for a fresh genin in two solid yet different styles. He also shows great promise in acting, both imitating targets general movements and attitude if required for infiltration, and using _'Snickering Cackle's'_ scare factor extraordinarily well. Genjutsu wise the kid is hopeless and he knows it, he lacks the chakra control necessary to even notice genjutsu taking hold of him though breaking them with his vast reserves when he does finally notice is childs play." Kakashi picked up the book that lay on the window sill and started leafing through it, not really reading.

"Naruto is going to be a ninjutsu powerhouse just based on his reserves alone, add to that his rather unusual methods of training and almost instinctive knowledge of wind chakra I wouldn't be surprised to see him as one of Konoha's best heavy jutsu hitters years from now. He also managed to create a combat capable variety of a basic wind manipulation exercise today and this isn't the only one I expect to see in the near future. Top it off with his prank knowledge transferring almost perfectly into traps Naruto is also setting up to be on the fast-track to Bingo books across the nation. He still suffers from an inferiority complex and some paranoia, just like the other two he is improving slowly."

"I don't suppose his new technique is based on a Suna exercise would it?" the Hokage chuckled, blowing a thick veil of smoke from his lips. "Of course he named it _'Spinning Death Wheel'_ or something of the like."

"_'Spiral Needle'_ in fact." Kakashi didn't even feel surprised Sarutobi knew the technique without him elaborating, the old man simply smiled and shook his head.

"I went with _'Whirling Arcs' _after stumbling upon that myself. I suspect his version is move powerful then my own, perhaps C-rank, as he has more chakra to burn. I will add this to his registry, though for now I'd like you to keep the fact he re-created it to yourself. In a few years his talents will no doubt be impossible to cover up, but until then he doesn't need any more scrutiny from the general populace."

A ninja's registry was often only covered the ninjas complete skills and observations while undergoing missions from their supervisors until the ninja became chunnin or higher, prior to that it would serve to weigh promotions and multi-team deployments as well as give specific branches of the Konoha Ninja Corps help to decide weather or not to invite certain individual's to join their ranks. After chunnin most ninja had their career paths mapped out, either by themselves or the Hokage, and it became more prudent to hide their true abilities in case of potential infiltration and only recorded the number and rank of mission completed... Sometimes. For a normal genin new ninjutsu were often rare and very helpful in getting their promotions quickly.

"Thank you Hokage." Kakashi murmured, his lone eye casually sweeping from one side of the page to the other. "Now what can team 7 do for you?"

"Are they ready for C ranks." the older man obviously knew that answer already and was just being polite. Team 7 had been fairly active, racking up a total of eighteen flawless D-rank missions, for the two weeks they had been doing missions. Their teamwork wasn't spectacular, but it was probably better then required for Kakashi to opt into higher ranked missions. They were quick, didn't get in each others way too much, and were willing to work together if tasks were more then a single genin could handle.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded after a second. Konoha's military force was still drastically reduced compared to their pre-'Third Shinobi War' levels, even though they fielded a large number of ninja and had adequate reserves of academy failures or retired nin that could be pressed into service if required. C ranks were best for newer genin teams or lone chunin ninja but could often be taken even by the Hokages ANBU due to the shortage of bodies for the mission load. Moving his team into these slightly higher risk missions earlier would open up several more higher ranked ninja to be used for more important tasks and assignments. Even if he was moving them up after only completing a third of the usually required D-rank missions 'Sharingan Kakashi' should be more then capable of babysitting the trio through C-ranks in the council's minds.

"Excellent. A mission has been brought to us on short notice and I was hoping I could let your team handle it instead of pulling several decryption specialists from their current assignment. This will be an extended mission outside Konoha, probably two weeks total, and extending into the Land of Spirits. Simple escort for one of the daughter's of the Dynamo's military Advisor from here to there and providing security for a few extra days. There hasn't been much worth reporting along the route and Spirit has been fairly stable politically for years. Suspected resistance is from light to non-existent. The main reason I want your team is for the political implications of using two of our clan heirs for the escort and event. Do you think your team can handle this mission?" Hiruzen had pulled a scroll from his sleeve that he extended to Kakashi.

Taking it the jonin briefly scanned the information. Their subject was fifteen, would be arriving in Konoha early tomorrow with an escort from Grass country, who of course would be leaving after the hand-off, and would likely remain the night and expect to continue her journey in the morning. They were expected to escort the young lady from Konoha to Spirit, and then assist the security there for her sixteenth birthday party.

"Seems fairly cut and dried. I'll bring the team in tomorrow to get the mission." Kakashi finally stated, re-rolling the scroll and returning it to the Hokage. "Should I have them all riled up for you?"

"I'll leave it to your discretion." the older man replied, waving aside the question. "I expect good things from your team, Kakashi."

Taking the dismissal for what it was Kakashi nodded his head before slipping out the window. Grabbing a perch on a nearby roof Kakashi eased his body into a slightly relaxed position and watched the moon slowly climb into the sky. The clamor of the villages nightlife reached and wrapped around him like the blanket of shadows that hid his form. Farmers and shopkeepers stumbling through the street after knocking a few cups of sake back after a long day, last minute shoppers, and some of the more unsavory citizens that preferred to peddle their trade after darkness came. Over all quiet, but with the acute senses he had developed over the years Kakashi could hear all of it quite clearly if he had wished too.

Currently he was too busy listening to another conversation to give the real world any notice.

"_Alright team, today is our lucky day cause all the Hokage had left is a C-rank!"_

"_Wouldn't that be better suited for a less capable team?"_

"_Ah don't be a stick in the mud Kakashi. We never get easy missions, just relax and enjoy an easy paycheck for once."_

"_It is irresponsible for a team as qualified as ourselves to not participate in missions befitting our rank, Obito."_

"_Maybe Kakashi is right..."_

"_Your just saying that Rin. You know we deserve a break after... after..."_

"_Obito has a point Kakashi. You three have been doing B and A ranked missions since the team was formed, you could use a breather."_

"_I just think we could be used better on another mission Sensei."_

"_Tell you what. Why don't you three go accomplish this C-rank and I'll see if I can scrounge up a B-rank for when you finish. Kakashi your leading, be careful."_

"_It's a C-rank Sensei."_

Hah... just one little C-rank and everything changed. Three confident genin had left sure of themselves and their invincibility. Two crippled and broken spirits returned and nothing could ever be put back together the same way.

"This time is different." Kakashi tried to convince the voice in his head. "We're not in the middle of a war, C-rank intelligence gathering missions don't exist anymore."

No matter how he tried to explain it up till now there still only existed one C-rank mission on Kakashi's register. All he could do was hope his genin didn't carry the same curse his team had.

* * *

XI.

* * *

Wheew. Right, few things I wanted to ask you all about and maybe get some feedback for.

It has come to my attention that my first chater, first scene, is probably the most cliche' Naruto fanfic entrance ever. After reading it myself a few times after receiving some feedback that complained about it I've come up with a few other 'less common' ways to introduce the fic. Would this be a good action on my part or is the whole 'Naruto gets beat up by angry mob' thing what hooked you to this story? Simple opinions would be fine as I have a few ideas more... fitting? of me that I can use instead if the vast majority of my readers don't mind.

Right. I kinda feel bad cause I keep having to write Hinata having problems and seeming weak. Hinata with no emotional baggage would slaughter Naruto and destroy Sasuke. Especially now that she has a few techniques to use as well. My mind has Hinata, Sasuke, Naruto as the order just on skills and techniques right now. Most times it will actually end up as Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata but that is not because Hinata is weak, merely that she does not jump on opportunities like Naruto or Sasuke would. My reasoning behind this is such: Time. Hinata has been CONSTANTLY trained since she was old enough to get the concept. Sasuke would have had training like this as well, however his family was killed off before he could get more then a few years of training in. Thus Hinata has years of theoretical experience and sparring to draw on that Sasuke and Naruto do not. This will even out as Naruto will make up for lost time as quick as he can, Sasuke will improve just by having someone else who is better then him at his chosen styles he can study, and Hinata will be switching her focus to a newer field. So there you have it.

Ok. Pairings issues are starting to pop up so let me say this much. I'm not certain this will be NaruxHina. Regardless they will still be the main characters and at the BARE MINIMUM be very important to each other so they will stay the two characters in the summary. Sorry to those of you who are dead set on one pairing but I hate this 'locked-in' feeling or having to plot events specifically to drive two of my characters together for no reason other then they are a 'pairing'. I'm not making any plans on the romance angle for now, though it will be present in the story later on (mostly muted till post-time skip in the cannon story line though... I get creepy feelings when I start to think of 12 year olds hooking up).

I know where my story is going! OMG that is great and hopefully I can keep chapters coming fairly quick. Fair warning their are going to be some HUGE differences even by the end of the chunnin exam. Mission to the wave is canceled for Team 7 as I decided Zabuza has way to much potential use later in the story to kill off so quickly. It will be mentioned, but Team 7 is not going to be on it.

Spirit will cover some of the mile stones from wave in cannon so wish me luck getting it together. Also if you think I don't have any kind of plot check the review by 'hmmmmmm'. Guy/Gal has some serious skills putting together hints (though this is still mostly possible-cannon stuff). Big things are coming if you can just give me some time =).

And finally Wind manipulation is different, and they aren't waiting till chunin to learn it! Naruto's making new techniques already! WTF OVRPOWR MUCH! FAIL LOL!

I never liked how wind manipulation was described in cannon. So I changed it and I hope you all don't mind too much. As for Naruto creating a jutsu... If you didn't catch it in the chapter (I mentioned this twice) he has not created a _new_ technique. He has found a way to make a normal exercise into a possible tool. The Hokage was able to create this technique before Naruto and found that its ratio of chakra to power was pathetic, thus making this technique pointless for most ninja. Naruto's version is already taking into account how much more chakra he has then everyone else (something like 2-3000 times more then a healthy person should have based on his ability to use 2k clones at once for combat.). As for manipulation, I bet Kakashi learned it early, and that should be all the reason he needs to teach his students.

_"Wind Technique: Spiral needle."_

~C-Rank (D for anyone who isn't a Naruto/Kisame type powerhouse)

short range (1-2 meters) with quickly reducing power as it extends.

Offensive

Four arcs of chakra-laced wind are released from the user. They travel in a rather sharp arc leaving a spiral like pattern. Each arc is three-five inches taller then the user (slightly over half that extra height travels through the ground to leave the tell-tale marking.). As it is based on a training exercise this technique does not have much for killing power.

_"Wind Technique: Air Bullet."_

B-Rank

All ranges, more powerful at shorter ranges

Offensive

User fires bullets of air from their mouth. Pretty standard with a decent description of my thoughts on the technique up near the top of the chapter. This technique does **not** use _compression_ of air, which will be used in a similar technique down the line.

_"Water Technique: Water Whips."_

~C-Rank

Variable range but generally short (2-8 meters is the most common length).

Variable

User creates one or multiple whips from water held together and directed by their chakra. Killing power is fairly low but the whips can be used for many purposes from killing to capture to defense. Chakra use rises exponentially as more whips are added.

_"Water Technique: Water Prison."_

straight from cannon.

C-Rank

Short

Supplementry.

User creates a dense sphere of water to imprison their foes. Check Naruto wiki if you really wanna know more. I assume it takes a decent chunk of chakra since the only people I recall using it were Zabuza (that guy who fought the **Mizukage,** the holder of the 3-tails... so he's not a slouch) and creepy fish dude (Kisame) with enough chakra to be considered 'the tailed beast without a tail'.

SPOILERS! also replys for people who don't wanna let me PM you.

SPOILERS!

'hmmmmm':

you kinda put that together better then I even had it in my mind. Only thing is I'm not quite sure 'where' I'll have the Kazekage killed off (I do believe it was in Wind country in cannon and I'm still following the cannon time-line for this event). Orochimaru wasn't after the Hokage seat so killing him isn't quite necessary at this point but if the opportunity were to arise... Also Danzo is going to become a very major character soon... I forgot about Shisui's eye but that just makes everything even smoother. Spirit is gonna be very interesting and covering quite a few things that are kind-of left blank in cannon (Some of the events and what not will be related to Gaara if you watch carefully. That's it for spoilers)

Tai:

Thank you for the praise and I"m glad to see you like my story so much your willing to read it from start to finish more then once! I'm currently trying to figure out just how much time away from plot progression I can get away with (these last two chapters are cutting it close I think) so character interaction might be simple for a while yet. I do want to open up the pool of characters again (most of Konoha 12, couple others, all as possible love interests or just to help keep more characters around.) Trying to sift through multiple characters heads is kinda hard but I do like covering how they all think a little differently... course I had to actually re-write Sasuke's scene three times cause he kept sounding like Kakashi... couldn't get the right level of arrogance. I'll be writing for a long time yet so I hope to see more reviews from you in the future as well!

Guest 1 & 2:

Thank you both for the reviews! If you could both come up with a name or something so I can properly thank you that would be very appreciated.

Spoilers over!

Spoilers over!

Authors note of death is over, I'll try to cut them down in the future. Thanks for your patience.

**~Simply_Waters~_**


	12. Chapter 12

Nope, not dead yet.

Talking

**Shouting/Inner voice**

_Thoughts/flashback_

Still don't own Naruto. Stop asking.

* * *

XII.

* * *

"Alright genin." All three children hopped too their feet and faced towards their sensei as he landed in front of them.

"Your late." Naruto stated.

"Even for you." Sasuke added.

"I-is something wrong S-Sensei?" the final member inquired.

"I just had to save a goat from this chain. It even took a bite out of my tool-pouch!" the late jonin explained, turning to show his chewed on pouch to the genin as proof.

"W-wait..."

"Hn?"

"Holy shit Kakashi actually told the truth! Run! The sky is gonna fall!"

Kakashi let his mask hide the grin that split his lips as Naruto ran around in a circle crying about judgment day coming too early, even Sasuke and Hinata seemed rather shocked at this turn of events. He would have to come up with more fake evidence in the future, just to keep them from getting complacent. He had of course been talking to Obito, lost track of time, and Pakkun had showed up for treats and wasn't above attacking the pouch that normally held them when denied. Of course there was no need for the genin to know about all that.

"Sensei?" the dark haired male asked.

"Yes?"

"What do you mean when you say you saved a goat from a chain?" This caused Naruto to stop his panicked racing and Hinata to perk up.

"Well this poor animal was just tied up in someones front yard, so of course I had to let the un-justly imprisoned thing go." All three genin slammed their hands against their foreheads.

"Only Sensei would let someone's pet goat loose." Naruto moaned, shortly followed by giggles from all three children.

"Anyway, I was thinking we should pick up a mission to start the day off." Back on track Kakashi ignored the incredulous looks on his students faces.

"Sensei, we never do missions before training." The blonde mentioned, scratching his cheek. "What's the occasion?"

"Just wanted to mix things up?" A half-hearted attempt that his students saw through easily.

"Right... Oh god what did we do wrong! Hinata help me out here!" Naruto once again switched modes at the drop of a hat, grabbing Hinata's hand and dragging her into a huddle around Sasuke. Even though the Uchiha didn't crouch down with them he did shift his head to easily catch their hurried whispers.

"Maybe because of that marmalade that kinda splashed on him earlier this week?"

"Can't be, he barely noticed!"

"Is he still wearing those pants?" Kakashi felt the sudden urge to look at his left calf, where the small smudge could be seen, but he resisted the impulse and maintained his lounging appearance.

"Ok, probably not the marmalade... How about when we all tossed him in the pond?"

"He let us idiot. I also recall doing ten laps on the circle because of that stupid idea."

"Oh... I forgot about that. Maybe we damaged one of his books?"

"Actually... that might be possible, I almost caught him with a fire-ball earlier this week."

"That must be it!" The blonde snapped his fingers and grinned, for all of ten seconds before he remembered their predicament. "Oh god he's gonna kill us! You know better then to damage Kakashi's porn Sasuke!"

"I'll never clean the stables again! You hear me!" the loudest boy shouted at his teacher. "You'll never get me through the door alive!"

Unable to hold back after such a perfect opportunity Kakashi formed a quick seal and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, only to re-appear less then a heartbeat later in the middle of his students huddle.

"Who said that wasn't the objective?" Kakashi deadpanned.

All three took a step back, Naruto stumbling and landing on his butt, then broke into grins as Kakashi gave his best 'eye-smile'.

"Alright, jokes aside we have been hand-picked for a mission." The silver-haired jonin explained as his students surrounded him again. "So we're going to go pick up the mission now instead of later."

"Hand-picked? That's good right?"

"I-it means w-we must have the r-right skills or people f-for the job." Hinata explained to the blonde.

"Or that we are easy to sacrifice." Sasuke added though he amended when Naruto shot him a dirty look. "They would hardly kill off both the only loyal Uchiha and the Hyuga clan heir, so it is highly unlikely though minutely possible."

"Aren't you just a bright ray of sunshine this morning." The wiskered youth remarked snidely.

"That's your job idiot."

"You wanna fight? I really think you've got something up your ass today, let me punch you till it shakes loose."

"B-boys!"

"Mah, lets not get too excited genin. We do have a mission to pick up... half an hour ago." His eye-smile was not enough to keep the genin from fixing him with dirty glares before taking off at a steady lope for the Hokage tower. Kakashi kept his giggle quiet enough for them not to notice.

With only a few hours of 'waiting for Kakashi' time Naruto's clones just had a few traps up and the genin managed to escape the danger zone with only a few new bruises and 'oh shit' moments. As they entered town the three launched themselves onto the roof-top, spreading out further now that they didn't have trees to impede their vision of each other. The extra distance would be helpful in reducing casualties from area-effect attacks and make it harder to pin down the whole team in the event of an encounter with unfriendly forces while still allowing communication. Kakashi mentally approved, the more people in a team pinned down the less chance of surviving they had, he hadn't even suggested this course of action yet.

As they sped over the rooftops Kakashi spotted another genin team moving out from the tower, Asuma's team as he could pick out the Nara and Yamaka signature hair style and color respectively. The two jonin nodded to each other, but didn't let their teams stop for more then a fly-by 'Hello'. Naruto somehow came out of that brief contact with a full bag of chips in his hands and a wide grin.

"We should run into Choji more often!" the blonde cheered as they hit the gravel before the Hokage's tower.

"Like you need any more weight slowing you down." Sasuke remarked.

"You calling me fat, Emo-boy? Look at these abs!" A shirt was hiked up and the blondes pale, toned stomach put on full display for everyone within eye-sight. While not particularly impressive for a ninja it did show the boy's dedication to his profession considering his age and still growing frame. Holding it for a few seconds Naruto let his shirt drop and smirked. "Yeah, you wish you could have a body like this."

Sasuke frowned, then reached for the hem of his own shirt. Just when he grasped the edge of it however, he paused and glanced about. At least ten pairs of eyes were glued onto his still clothed torso, and that was only counting obvious civilians. Wisely deciding it would be too 'childish', and potentially life-threatening, to repeat Naruto's actions Sasuke settled for sniffing loudly and scoffing. Around this time Hinata's blush had finally started to recede back down her neck.

"S'what I thought." Grinning widely Naruto swept past Sasuke and into the tower. Sasuke tripped him and let the blondes face open the door for the rest of the team.

"You might wanna work on your balance." Was all the black-haired boy said as he took point, Hinata paused long enough to make sure Naruto was fine and back on his feet before they joined the other half of the team in the lounge.

The squabbling between the boys cut off like a switch had been thrown the minute they stood before the mission room door. Purely professional, just as Kakashi had drilled them to be, all three genin slipped into the office and bowed respectfully to the Hokage. The old man nodded to the trio before locking eyes with Kakashi.

"_Are they ready?"_ Kakashi didn't need the Hokage to speak to hear his desire for confirmation, he merely nodded.

"Team 7." At the Hokage's words the genin straightened even more, striving to show their best before the man who held their lives in his aging hands. "I have requested your team specifically for a mission. Do you have the ability and courage to meet the requests of an old man?"

"Yes, Hokage." All three voices were tight and controlled, hiding their fear and excitement to the best of their ability. There was no room for children in this place, Kakashi had been sure to make that exceedingly clear to all three after a few of Naruto's display's of unhappiness with D-rank missions.

"Excellent. You three will be dispatched to escort Nakamura Emiya to her fathers estate in Spirit country. There you will provide additional security until her sixteenth birthday and subsequent dismissal by her father, Nakamura Tatsuya, the head of Spirit countries defenses. After your dismissal from the security detail you shall return with all haste for further assignments. Do you understands the parameters of your mission?"

"Yes, Hokage."

"Any questions?"

"What is the likely hood of hostiles?" Sasuke started off.

"Low to non-existent, Spirit has been fairly peaceful and stable for the last several years. There have not been any reports of unrest or missing-nin operating in the area." The Uchiha nodded and let Naruto voice the next question.

"What is the time-frame for this mission?"

"Approximately two weeks, leaving you a week to make the trip to Spirit with several days before and after Emiya's birthday to spare."

"H-have we received any ins-structions for specific r-responsibilit-ties during the birthday?"

"Negative. Tatsuya will give you those details when you arrive, you are not required to go beyond the parameters of your mission. You are there to provide security, not be company or arm-candy." Nodding her head Hinata looked to her team-mates for a second, then all three faced the Hokage and nodded.

"Team 7, mission accepted." the Hokage stated, stamping the document before him and handing the rolled scroll to their Sensei. "Your target will be arriving later this evening, I expect you to take the remaining time available to you to prepare for your extended mission."

"Of course, Hokage."

"Best of luck too you then Team 7." A brief bow from the team to the village leader and they shuffled out quickly and in an orderly fashion. The professional facade lasted on Naruto's face for a whole two steps after the door shut behind them.

"HELL YEAH! C-Rank mission time baby! Escorting princesses and stomping bandits time is finally here!"

Sasuke couldn't keep the grin from creeping onto his face, and even Hinata didn't look as frightened by the thought of a C-rank mission as she had been of their first mission together. Kakashi eyed them all fondly before producing three copies of a short list and passing one to each of them.

"These are the items I suggest bringing, and in what quantity. You can bring anything you want with, as long as you have everything on this list. Be careful not to overload yourself as we will be making our return trip at full speed. Don't bring anything you can't live without in case we have an accident along the way." The list was fairly brief, only containing a basic shinobi load-out for tools and weapons, a few days of field rations; a tent, and a sleeping bag. At least two pairs of spare clothing was suggested at the bottom, and while expected, were not required.

"I'll meet with you at Konoha's eastern gate in four hours. Be ready to leave by then, even though we should be staying in the village for the night it never hurts to be prepared." Kakashi nodded as all three genin quickly scanned the list then nodded before dispersing.

Hinata would likely be outfitted by her family, she would have a few unnecessary items but with many members on the active shinobi roster her load would be fairly light and practical. Naruto would probably pack more ramen then anything else, but Iruka would catch him and cut the load down to something more acceptable. The only genin Kakashi was worried about, not that the boy would bring superfluous items, was Sasuke since he had no-one to help him pack for his first extended mission. Waiting till the genin had lost sight of each other Kakashi quickly caught up to the Uchiha.

"Sasuke." he called lightly, pleased that the boy had noticed his presence quickly.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Just thought I'd check and see if you wanted a hand packing?" The first week the team had been formed Sasuke would have brushed his offer aside without even thinking about it. Now the boy actually slowed down and pondered for a brief second. Happy with that progress Kakashi wasn't disappointed when Sasuke declined his offer. The boy had considered it, that was more then he could have hoped for.

"See you." Kakashi waved as he took off back in the direction of his usual hang-out. He was confident in his abilities, having honed them for almost a decade and a half. He was pleased with his genin's progress, both as ninja and as people. They would be able to handle any C-rank mission, but he still felt a shadow hanging over what could have been a joyous occasion.

"We'll be fine." Try as he might Kakashi could still feel it, a cold finger of paranoia grinding along his nerves.

* * *

"Heh, we are so awesome! C-rank missions are gonna be totally bad-ass." Naruto couldn't help but chortle to himself as he beat feet towards Iruka's house. Technically his house now too, but he still hadn't totally accepted that fact, it still felt more like a non-stop sleepover more then anything else.

Of course he had to cut back on ramen with Iruka around all the time, but Naruto had found something equally enticing. Home-cooked meals. Who would have thought you could make such delicacies with random vegetables or meat? He could still remember the first time Iruka dropped a plate loaded with rice, veggies, and smothered in a steaming sauce. Naruto would be lying if he tried to say he hadn't teared up, after the customary round of 'this isn't ramen!' of course. He had even taking to helping his brother prepare the food, chopping various ingredients with wild abandon and trying very hard not to stir things too much. The cooking part was almost more fun then eating with someone most meals of the day or having a constant sparring partner.

Naruto bit back his enthusiasm as he noticed a few less-then-friendly looks. Some things never changed, and the everyday civilians reception of him was one of those. Oddly those looks didn't cut him so deeply anymore, like they had lost their power after Iruka had practically demanded that Naruto become his brother. Was that maybe a secret power that having a family gave you? Knowing that you always had someone at your back, no matter what anyone else thought or did to you. Did that mean he didn't need the approval of these faceless people anymore?

Maybe. But he would still become Hokage just to rub it in their faces. Grinning Naruto stuck his tongue out and flipped a less then appropriate finger gesture towards his fan-base. Fuck these people. He had a family, a team, and his dream. What did he need their worthless approval for anyway? Kakashi accepted him, Hinata accepted him; Iruka had become his brother, and even Sasuke had started joking around with him. He would destroy anyone who tried to take those people away from him, citizens of Konoha or not.

"That's right! I don't fucking care about any of you anymore! Go get bent!" Laughing at the shocked expressions Naruto grabbed a fistful of chakra and blasted himself onto a nearby roof. He felt fantastic, on top of the world! Then he hit something rather solid and slammed down on his rear.

"Hey! Watch your step!" Rubbing the top of his head Naruto raised his eyes and saw pink. Pink and red.

"Oh shit! Are you ok, Sakura? I'm totally sorry about that." Practically jumping to help his crush Naruto didn't let it bother him when she shoved him roughly aside and picked herself up.

"Stupid Naruto, aren't you suppose to be aware of your surroundings at all times?" Sakura sniped, dusting off her skirt.

Nervously chuckling Naruto let his hands drift behind his head and gave a wide grin. "Sorry, I'm just a little excited. Just got an awesome mission and couldn't help it."

"What awesome mission? Colliding with innocent shinobi crossing along the roof-tops?"

"Huh? I said I was sorry! Jeeze, ride a guy a little harder about one little slip-up will ya?" Trying hard to keep his 'cool' Naruto inched his way closer too her. Why did Sakura always smell so good? It was driving him crazy.

"Maybe, but not you stupid, I'm saving myself for Sasuke." Sakura sneered, though her heart didn't seem to be in it as much as usual.

"_Success! No punches and she's even joking with me!"_ As if he needed anything to make this day any better, but now even the girl of his dreams seemed to be warming up too him! So what if she mentioned Sasuke, the boy didn't like her anyway, for some silly reason cause Sakura was freaking _cute_.

"Well I still like you, so when that doesn't work out you can look me up right?" He had tried the direct approach for years, and after not seeing her for a while Naruto found it easier to realize he didn't need her to return his affections right this minute. 'Look underneath the underneath', he could make his attraction obvious without going overboard.

"Like that would ever happen." Sakura sniffed, then paused and looked him up and down again. "Your on a team with Sasuke and Hinata right?"

"Yep! Your... uh..." Scratching his head Naruto tried desperately to remember the day teams were assigned, it felt like years instead of weeks.

"Kiba and Shino." She mentioned.

"Yeah! Dog boy and Shino," smiling Naruto scratched the back of his head again, "I was about to say that. So how is that going for you?"

"Better then I thought." the pinkette admitted. "Kiba has kinda taken charge but he at least listens to Shino and myself. We're training under Kurenai Yuhi, and she's teaching us to be a tracker team."

"That's awesome! I don't even know what kind of team we are, just that Kakashi's got us all doing tai and ninjutsu with a side of traps."

"Probably an assault, scout, or relief squad then."

"An assault or a what squad?" Naruto could feel his face scrunching up.

"Relief, meaning you'll be responsible for quickly reacting when other teams need assistance. You also do some exercises about moving through hostile territory right?" the girl explained.

"Well Kakashi is always jumping us with clones... and I suppose we do kinda train in the middle of all my traps."

"Yep, prepping you for heavy enemy contact, in a couple months he'll probably start having you assault prepared positions or protect a batch of clones." Flipping her hair Sakura looked infinitely pleased with herself.

"Wow. How do you know all that Sakura?" Naruto couldn't help it, he was kind of impressed. He'd be even more impressed if she was right and Kakashi did start those drills in the future.

"I was the top of our class academically. You'd know all this too if you had payed attention." The blonde felt his smirk drop a little bit at the comment, but shook it off cause she was right. He had slacked off in the academy, there was actually a lot more to this ninja business then just beating up the other guy and he had started feeling that hole in his knowledge more keenly as time went by.

"Yeah, I guess your right. So where are you off too anyway?"

"Heading to our training ground, Sensei let us sleep in cause we stayed up late doing a mission yesterday." She replied.

"I kinda figured you would have started wearing something else for training." Naruto mentioned, gesturing to Sakura's still fairly bright red outfit.

"I did." She replied, smiling widely.

"Ummmm..." Quickly looking her over Naruto was at a loss for what she had changed from her academy outfit. "I'm sorry, I totally don't see it."

"My Sensei is a master of genjutsu." Sakura cryptically replied.

"Genjutsu? Aw man I suck at that! I'm kinda glad I didn't end up on her team."

"Kurenai is a jonin, she knows more then enough to teach any genin in this village something! She's just best at illusions. She says I might have some talent for them myself!"

"Really! That's pretty cool, Sakura. So are you learning any bad-ass genjutsu?" That would be both awesome and terrifying, Naruto was an expert in how hard Sakura could hit when she got serious. Add some illusions to that brute strength of hers? He repressed a shudder.

"Nothing big yet, just little things that I have to use all the time to help build my chakra reserves up enough so I can pull off the bigger ones." Sakura replied with a smirk. "Like right now I have one up that fools _some_ people into thinking I have my old academy clothes one."

"Hey, that's pretty cool... Ah man! Your totally laughing at me right now aren't you?" A chuckle made it's way out the pretty green-eyed girls throat.

"Oh. Well I won't ask you about a date then." Naruto expelled with a fake pout. Sakura chuckled a little louder at that and Naruto suddenly had to press her boundaries.

"For now." That did it, but Naruto was able to slip around the devastating hay-maker and reach the other edge of the roof before Sakura got a fix on him again.

"You don't wanna be late Sakura! I'll come bother you in a couple weeks!" Naruto sang as he leaped across an alley, putting him safely out of Sakura's reach.

"Get out of here you idiot! I didn't want to see you in the first place!" Maybe he was just fooling himself, but it seemed like Sakura wasn't as adamant in her dislike of him as she use to be. That upwards twitch in her lips might have even been a smile!

"Awwww, well I'll be looking for you in a couple weeks!" Sakura's reply was lost to the wind as Naruto resumed his race to reach Iruka's house, strangely at peace. He had just had a pleasant conversation with his crush that didn't end with him a puddle on the floor, or roof.

As he reached the door to his brothers apartment Naruto forgot what he was doing for a minute, but the list in his pocket brought it all back to him and the blonde unlocked the door with a flourish. Throwing himself across the living room into his small bedroom that Iruka had used for storage until Naruto moved in the boy started grabbing at his growing stock of ninja equipment.

New, decent quality kunai and shuriken. Glittering lengths of various width ninja wire, a small pile of mixed smoke and flash bombs. A few small tags with various effects, since funninjutsu was a time-consuming and expensive hobby Naruto was quite proud of the fact that he owned a few tags. Not even three months ago the only way a pricy tag would have worked it's way into his hands was if he stole it, and Naruto was not a thief no matter how bad things had gotten for him. He had, however, practically broke his brother in half when the man presented him with the first two flash-tags in his growing collection. Now he had a few flash-tags, some fire-tags, and several noise tags. He was hoping to acquire a ridiculously elusive storage scroll some time in the future, but for now he hadn't been able to find any within his still tiny price-range.

Looking at the slips of paper Naruto felt torn. He had sunk a not so insignificant amount of his mission pay into getting these tags, and the thought of using them was almost painful too him. Taking the roll of flash-tags in his hand Naruto let the paper roll around, feeling the fine quality parchment and tracing the gorgeous brushwork.

Making most seals took a disturbingly low amount of chakra, however the flow of chakra being feed into the seal as it was drawn needed to remain consistent and even. Naruto knew his brushwork resembled a four-year-olds more often then not, and with his massive reserves of chakra drawing a steady amount was almost impossible unless he focused on it completely. The first tag he tried to make during his second year at the academy imploded on his third brush-stroke, the few attempts he had made since then had all suffered similar fates. After a long discussion with Iruka, Naruto had finally admitted that he should wait to try seals until he had some semblance of chakra control. With creating the tags not being an option Naruto was forced to do what almost ever other ninja did, pay for them. With such a large consumer base and a relatively miniscule number of producers the tags were predictably pricy.

Finally Naruto weighed his affection for the hard to come by tools with his love for his teammates. Within a second he had placed every one in their carrying tube and thrown them into the pile of tools he was taking. Expensive and rare as they were he would hang himself if his hesitation to use them got him or one of his team-mates killed. He could buy more tags, he couldn't buy more friends.

"Hmmm... Ah, I forgot to pick up some combat knives." Kakashi had mentioned a pair of good close-quarters knives would be invaluable to Naruto since he had learned _Snickering Cackle_ as the styles attacks would only become more deadly when he was holding razor-sharp instruments. Punching or kicking someone was a tried and true method for beating them, but cutting a few tendons and watching them face-plant was so much easier.

"Ugh." Glancing at his alarm clock Naruto sighed when he realized he wouldn't have time to properly find and then haggle for a set, which meant he wouldn't be buying them till they got back. Kunai would have to do for now then, so he tossed a few extra shinobi knives into the pile.

Looking at the respectable armory laying in the middle of his bed Naruto smiled. This was by far more good-quality material then he had ever owned prior to moving in with Iruka, his brother had even kicked in a few of the tools himself.

"Note too self: Tell Iruka I love him cause he is seriously the best thing to happen to me." Laughing Naruto started overloading a few extra tool-pouches and pockets to contain the overabundance of sharp, pointy, and spiky bits of metal. He had to leave some behind when the ones in his pocket started threatening to hamper his mobility by poking him at the wrong times, sadly placing the double-handful of caltrops back into the small box he kept them in for storage Naruto took a few paces to settle the extra pounds of metal he had gained.

Satisfied that his weapons were more or less ready for the trip the blonde ducked into his closet and dragged out a small, collapsed tent. Unfolding the portable shelter Naruto inspected the joints and locking bars. Finding nothing wrong he re-collapsed the item and set it down on the bed. Next he grabbed a decent sized back-pack and opened the pouches. Iruka had helped him pack it originally. Inside were several sets of fresh clothing, a blanket, almost a weeks worth of field rations, and everything was sealed in water-proof bags in case of poor weather. Shoving the organized mess a little further towards the bottom Naruto smiled when he saw he had just enough room near the top.

Tip-toeing into the kitchen Naruto glanced about. When he didn't spot anyone the blonde crept onto the counter, then pulled open a cupboard at the top. As the door fell aside Naruto basked in the proverbial light as stack after stack of instant ramen glowed before his eyes. Pork, miso, beef; seafood, shrimp, chili; it was all there and more. As he reached for them Naruto was struck by a sudden epiphany. He didn't have room for all of them! Not even one of each flavor! How could he possibly choose one over the others?

Iruka would come home an hour later to find Naruto still frozen on the counter, face caught between awe and horror as he mumbled "It won't fit. Oh god it won't fit." over and over.

* * *

"_Thank you whoever invented roof-tops."_ Shifting his pack slightly Sasuke sent his thoughts skyward as his feet pushed him along the different surfaces that made up the shinobi highway. Normally the Uchiha heir had no problem with civilians, or crowds, but today was one of those days where it just felt better to not have to deal with the looks he always received. The fawning and praise was irritating with his next milestone rapidly approaching.

D-rank missions were a joke, and Sasuke suspected they might even be intended as a form of hazing. After two weeks of countless missions to garden, walk animals; locate animals, paint fences, and clean up trash the sight of a C-rank mission was a blessing. The first real test of his abilities outside the safety of Konoha, and the dark-haired boy was determined to succeed in it.

Fourty-five minutes early as his sandals kicked up a small swirl of dust at the east gate Sasuke knew he would have plenty of time before any of his team-mates showed up. Leaning against the gate he nodded too the two chunin manning the checkpoint and started a simple chakra exercise.

Holding his right hand before him Sasuke gently channeled his chakra, creating a small pool in the palm of his hand. When the pool was sufficiently dense Sasuke ran two tendrils of chakra together. Slowly at first, but soon enough the energy was rapidly moving against itself. Friction started, then built, and eventually the very air started to spark. Maintaining the motion of the igniting tendrils Sasuke slowly let the pool in his hand drift up towards the sparks. Like a candle, as soon as the chakra reached the sparks a small flame winked into existence.

Smiling briefly Sasuke focused on feeding the tiny being a continuous stream of fuel. He would continue to do so for the next five minutes before increasing the flow, and expanding the size of the flame. An easy exercise that only served to further refine his control and reserves of chakra. He was well into his fourth expansion before he caught sight of a familiar face.

Hinata was once again back in her bulky beige jacket with fur cuffs, the article of clothing still seeming like it could envelope her entire body easily. A small, compact pack was carried snugly on her back with a collapsible tent tied to the front. It made hardly any more noise then the girls usual motions and looked sturdy enough to take a full-fledged beating without losing shape. An extra tool-pouch rode a little higher then her usual one against her right thigh. The girl gave him a brief wave before setting herself against the wall next too him and promptly immersing herself in the ground at their feet.

Content with the situation Sasuke kept his attention on the ever growing flame in his palm, now the size of an apple. As he expanded the flame again he raised his free hand and began to slowly move the flame from one palm to the other. The most difficult part would be keeping the flame from exploding when the fueling chakra of his second hand was added to the mix. Once stable he could then move the flame into his off-hand and cut the chakra from his dominate hand before repeating the exercise in the opposite direction.

The first time he had tried this exercise the pinprick of flame had engulfed his whole hand the second his other hand had started feeding chakra to it. After dousing the first degree burns in ointment Sasuke had taken Kakashi's advice and focused more on control then speed, the effort well worth it as he watched the ball of fire move smoothly from one hand to the other without a hitch. Holding in a smile Sasuke let the flame switch hands a few more times before letting it wink out of existence.

A glance to his side revealed a quiet Hinata contemplating the grass at her toes. Use to the sight Sasuke looked back up the road that lead into Konoha. Few civilians or businesses were this close to the gate so there weren't many people racing about, instead he looked for familiar faces among the few genin teams that were passing through. Surprisingly it didn't take long for him to recognize a trio as they strode along.

Since graduation there had been remarkably small changes, when compared with his own team-mates new clothes and tattoos, in the three genin assigned to team eight. Shino's dark glasses and dark-blue trench coat were still in place, Kiba was still buried in his own grey fur-lined coat, and Sakura wore her red and pink ensemble. He caught a flicker in Sakura's clothing and gave her a second look. After a second he deduced that she wasn't wearing her academy style, merely casting a genjutsu over her clothing, though he couldn't see through it at this range.

As Sasuke finished his appraisal he noticed his extra second of attention to Sakura hadn't gone unnoticed. He managed not to snarl as the pinkette grabbed the back of her team-mates coats and pointed in his direction. However his 'bored' face quickly masked any emotions while he prepared to deal with the girl like he always had.

Ignorance. She just didn't exist, therefore he didn't have to be irritated by her.

"Hi Sasuke!" her perky tone grated his nerves.

"How are you doing today?" Just a breeze, nothing to really pay attention too.

"I was just in the area and I noticed you over here looking so lo-... Err, bored!" The change of wording was made quickly as the pinkette finally noticed Hinata crouched next too him.

"Sooo..." He found an urge to just walk away, but squashed it knowing that she would only follow after him like a sick puppy.

"Whatcha doing?" Second time she asked that, just different words. He distracted himself for a moment wondering if Sakura thought there was some combination of words that would magically make him pay attention too her.

"I ran into Naruto earlier! He's on your team right?" And suddenly Sasuke found himself looking at her instead of the air to her was the fact that he had heard the second part of the sentence in perfect clarity instead of muting her like usual. He actually did moan, quietly enough she didn't notice, when her eyes lit up with a fiendish glee.

_'I know what to say to get Sasuke's attention!'_ Her whole body screamed it even if she didn't say anything.

"He practically ran me over earlier! Then he mentioned, Naruto I mean, that you guys were going on a mission. What kind of mission?" Hinata had perked up slightly at the second utterance of Naruto's name. Her aura was ominous though, more like Sakura's or Ino's when the other approached him in their sight, not a large surprise.

_"Maybe I get lucky and Hinata will just kill her... Immediately."_ A pleasant thought, though Sasuke knew it was unrealistic.

"J-just and escort m-mission." Hinata supplied after a few moments of watching Sakura's puppy-dog face.

"An escort mission! Wow. Obviously the Hokage recognizes how amazing you are Sasuke! I knew you were going to be an awesome ninja since the day we met. I-I just had that... kindof feeling you know?" Sasuke refused to let himself puke at the sickening sweetness that Sakura tried to feed him. He had heard all about how 'special', and 'amazing' he was from far better actors then her.

That was the root of why he could never stand his 'fangirls'. He could only see the faces of the men and women who took everything he had left after his family died. Namely his house, almost all his clan scrolls, and the money that was suppose to be for him and his future children. Disgustingly sweet fake smiles and promises they had let drip from their lips as they took everything not nailed down right in front of his eyes. They sent someone to remove the nails after they had the deeds to his clan compound and had moved him to more 'suitable for a child' location. Vultures, all of them.

"Well I guess... Since you are leaving for a while... Do you think... maybe... We could... When you get back I mean..." Sasuke resolutely moved his gaze a few feet, then a few more when Sakura tried to stay centered, till even she could tell he was not interested in continuing the... conversation.

"Well... Think about it O.K?" she finally exhaled, drooping a little. Sasuke sighed in relief.

"Hey guys!"

"_Naruto... your timing could not be worse."_ The Uchiha felt another sigh work it's way out his mouth. Now he would have to listen to more of Sakura's screeching and watch Naruto get reduced to a pulp after he asked for a date.

"How you doing Kiba?" the blonde started off, lightly rubbing shoulders with the other boy.

"Not much. Watching Sakura get shot down by Ice Prince over there." The Inuzuku replied as Akamaru jumped onto his head to lick Naruto's cheek.

"No surprise there." Both the boys chuckled, even as they backed away from Sakura. "We all know that Sasuke still thinks girls got cooties."

Sasuke couldn't help but think how very simple it would be to make Naruto swallow his own tongue. Just one good kick to his chin and the boy would be choking to death...

"He does _not_! Sasuke just hasn't figured out who would be best for him yet. He'll pick me eventually!" Sakura was quick to rise, unnecessarily, to his defense.

"Yup, keep telling yourself that." Naruto snorted, right before he noticed her twitching eye.

"Moving on! How about you Shino? Life treating you alright?" Naruto stepped to the other boys side, somehow managing to get him between the blonde and Sakura.

"I have been acceptable, Naruto. I would, however, kindly appreciate it if you would stop attempting to use me as a shield from Sakura's imminent assault on your well-being." Despite recognizing his perilous situation Shino made no attempt to move to a safer location.

"Oh come-on old buddy Shino. Sakura wouldn't dream of attacking me!" Naruto laughed, inching himself a little further behind the other boy.

"She has shown exceedingly effective efforts for almost four years in accomplishing just that feat. Naruto. Are you certain you are not suffering from memory loss?" The bug user did turn his head to eye the blonde, though he still did not move his body.

"Well... yeah ok, so she gives me a couple love-taps from time to time." Naruto attempted to scoff. "That hardly means we're in actual _danger_."

"Based on past events and current evidence that is actually a more logical conclusion. You can see the extra blood-flow to her right arm, indicating an intense desire to inflict physical injury upon something. She did not exhibit these symptoms prior to your arrival, thus you are the most probable cause." The other boy continued.

"If you put it that way... Save me best buddy!" Naruto yelped as he shoved Shino completely into Sakura's way and raced for the roof-tops with a red-faced pinkette close behind.

"I was not aware I had become your 'best buddy', I would advice you re-assess your ideas of friendship if your 'best-buddy' is so disposable." Shino lightly adjusted his glasses and Sasuke could hear a light buzzing coming from the boy.

"You were my best-buddy till you failed too... OH DEAR GOD NO!" A loud meaty _smack_ announced Naruto's failed attempt to escape.

"Baby." Sakura snickered as she dusted off her hand. "I didn't even hit you that hard." The blonde, with a red hand-print decorating his cheek, struck a 'thoughtful' pose as he replied.

"I'd rate that a three out of ten on the 'Sakura' scale. Which of course means it's about ten-times harder then it needs to be to get the point across."

"Should we go for a higher score then?" Sakura threatened, adding a heavy glare for good measure.

"Uh, no... No I think I'm good." The blonde replied, rubbing the back of his head and smiling nervously.

Sasuke felt a growing pressure beside him, looking down he sighed as the source revealed itself. Hinata was crouched and practically vibrating, one delicate fist clenched tightly while the others fingertips gouged into the soil at her feet. If he hadn't been training with her for over a month Sasuke wouldn't know she was growling, he suspected even the Inuzuku couldn't hear the noise as it was so low in her throat.

"_Let her kill Sakura, or diffuse the situation?"_ he felt torn, as they were both rather appealing options.

"Last I checked we were back on our way to train. Not going to a social hour." The cold tone froze every genin and drew their gaze to the striking red-eyed jonin staring at them. Kuranai Yuhi, the genjutsu mistress of Konoha.

"Shino! I thought you at least wouldn't let the other two slack off. Apparently the few extra hours of sleep I _let_ you have gave you three the wrong idea. Right now you are on _my_ time, which means when I say we are going to the training field I expect you to be there waiting for _me_. Care to explain why I had to come back and find _you_?" Thick black hair cascaded in rich waves over silky shoulders, but none of the genin could appreciate the view as they became very interested in their shoes.

"Move." Was all she said after a moment of silence. Team eight quickly raced off towards the training grounds while their sensei turned to the remaining genin.

"I know it's not your fault, though I'd appreciate it if you would try to keep them focused more on training while their on duty." The frigid tone had been replaced with a warm smile that quickly thawed the frozen team seven.

"Sure thing m'am! I'm really sorry I distracted them, I won't do it again! Sakura said a lot of nice things about you though so could you maybe... maybe not be too hard on them?" the blonde stammered.

"This is the first time they've been late, so I'm afraid I'll have to be rough on them. I don't want them to get any bad habits." The jonin replied with a sad smile. "But after today they'll never be late again. Unless their dead." Even Sasuke felt a shiver run up his spine at that statment.

"Can't have them turning out like your Sensei can we?" All four ninja let a small chuckle escape at that comment.

"I thought I turned out pretty good." Kakashi stated as he dropped down from the top of the wall behind them.

"Cause being a minimum of fourty-five minutes late to everything is 'pretty good'." Kuranai scoffed.

"I'm still alive," the male jonin replied with an eye-smile.

"I suppose that's something. Anyway, I have to go discipline my wayward children so I'll see you all later." Waving team eight's Sensei stalked off.

"So very, very, very glad your my sensei right now." Naruto whispered to Kakashi as the female jonin disappeared around the corner. "She scares me."

"That reminds me." The remaining jonin murmured.

"Reminds you about wha-" Naruto's comment was cut off as all three genin were smashed into the ground by a sudden burst of killing pressure radiating off their Sensei.

"Sen-sei?" Sasuke gasped as the relentless force mutilated his ability to think, much less move or breath. He could vaguely see Naruto from the corner of his eye, and the blonde wasn't in any better shape then himself.

Kakashi had used killing intent around them before, but now Sasuke was realizing that even with the vast improvements he had made under the jonins instruction he was hardly any closer to reaching the mans level. The sheer volume of chakra and _motive_ Kakashi exuded would have exhausted the genin within seconds.

"I thought I would demonstrate a reality of the ninja world to you." Kakashi's tone was calm and collected, driving the words home without the need for him to speak any louder then a whisper.

"_He's never tried to intimidate us this seriously before."_ The words echoed in Sasuke's mind as he _felt_ his body shutting down, trying to compress in on itself to reach a similar density as the air around him. A pained whimper behind his head informed him that Hinata was still next to him.

"In the ninja world there exist men and women, of all ages, who are called exceptional. The gifted, the blessed, the geniuses."

"_He's practically killing us!" _He couldn't do anything to stop it either as lack of oxygen lit a multitude of fires across his chest and limbs.

"These exceptional individuals are the monsters who can theoretically dominate any opponent, any situation, and always come out on top."

"_Please stop Sensei!"_

"You are all good genin. You are quick learners; your fast, strong, and competent for your age and rank. But you are all _genin_."

The world was spinning, colors fading in and out as Sasuke desperately tried to force his lungs to expand. He knew it wouldn't matter though, Kakashi would turn them all into diamonds with just his killing intent.

"This is what the presence of a monster feels like. This is the chasm of _potential_ you will have to face if you want to ensure you and your team-mates survive."

He just wanted to breath! The action that had kept him alive for twelve years was firmly denied and Sasuke's scrabbling attempts to gather himself were fruitless.

"Out there," Kakashi's hand rose and pointed past the gate they had gathered at. "You _will_ find monsters, and if you can't find it in yourselves to keep on your feet before them you will die like insects. Smashed under their feet without them even noticing."

Against all reason the immense weight that pressed him into the dirt compounded, forcing an exhale from the Uchiha's mouth and a miniscule break in the firestorm that cartwheeled through his body.

"Now show me that you three can survive the world outside this cradle."

"_I can't even breath! How am I possibly suppose to stand?"_ Fingertips slowly, slowly bent as Sasuke drew deeply on his chakra. Even with the extra strength and vitality the inner energy brought forth he could only move in the tiniest of increments. Like a ancient colossus the genin felt every millimeter as he extended his arms. When his chest finally broke contact with the ground Sasuke's eyes sought out the closest source of motivation he could think of. Brilliant blue eyes met his and a silent agreement was reaffirmed.

"_I'm always going to be the best. I'll never let you surpass me. This test is nothing for me."_

"_I'm going to surpass you one day. You better never stop looking over your shoulder. This test brings me that much closer too passing you."_

"Never!" the black-haired boy groaned, focusing on re-asserting his breathing. Recklessly he drew harder on his chakra, propping up his physically bested body with raw energy. With the pure power fueling his efforts Sasuke drew his first breath in what felt like a year. A torrent of relief surged through his chest in reply, and he felt the burden over his head lessen with every subsequent breath.

"I... am... Uchiha." His pride, the only thing left that was his. He loved his name, the name he had shared with a mother; a father, a whole clan of people. He had sworn revenge for them, and for that reason he could never let himself fail.

The memory of his purpose, twined with the immediate presence of his rival, gave the last Uchiha the push to rise to his knees. Shortly after to his feet, and finally raised his head to meet his Sensei's un-wavering gaze. On one side he could feel Naruto rising steadily, the other Hinata's staggering progress. They would pass this test, because this was _his_ team. Uchiha's always had the best, his teammates were no exception to this rule.

Kakashi watched them with no emotion in his visible eye, even when Naruto slumped back down to one knee breathing like a furnace bellows. Not a spark when Sasuke and Hinata grabbed the blondes arms and hauled him back too his feet. The genin could feel him picking them apart, surgically and professionally dismembering them in his head, looking for something.

"When they come for you. When you hear their cries and experience their assault you must remember this. If you can stand before me, even as I attempt to smother you, you can stand before _anyone_." It was the calm way Kakashi stated it while the genin still felt their lungs trying to compress into marbles that made Sasuke not even attempt to counter the statement in his head.

The Jonin could often be viewed as a slacker, an underachiever, a sloth. He had cultivated that aura and reputation, but the second someone faced him with those expectations they would find themselves on the floor bleeding to death wondering what mountain fell on them. Kakashi was a _monster_, just like Itachi. Subtly Sasuke nodded to his Sensei, message received and understood.

"_This is what you have to become if you want to achieve your goals."_

"You three always exceed my expectations, you always find a way to drag each other an extra step. I want you three to keep that mentality in the front of your mind for this mission. Watch each others backs even closer then you watch your own."

"Sensei!" All three of the responded in unison as the killing pressure disappeared like a bad memory.

"Good, cause I would hate myself if I only brought two students home."

* * *

She was tiny, more like a child then a teenager. Standing on her tiptoes the girl probably wouldn't even reach four and a half feet. That was Hinata's first impression of Nakamura Emiya.

The waist-length silver hair, pale white skin, and wide sun-hat gave the impression that Emiya didn't leave the house often. But her mechanical stride and balance on the roughly packed dirt road didn't come from walking a mansions corridors. Minding that she had to take almost three steps to cover the same distance as the majority of her Grass country escort, she held their pace and hadn't even marred her yellow sundress with so much as a spot of sweat.

As Kakashi greeted the jonin from Grass and exchanged pleasantries and mission scrolls Hinata followed Naruto and Sasuke as they moved towards Emiya. Naruto practically flying in his haste to greet the girl, while Sasuke took more time and subtly appraised her.

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konoha and you escort to the Land of Spirits! Nice to meet you!" the blondes tan hand was out and almost vibrating as he tried not to bounce.

"Nakamura Emiya." She replied dully, not bothering to shake the boys hand. Hinata decided she didn't like Emiya very much.

"Uchiha Sasuke." The second boy on team seven stated, not bothering to offer his hand.

"H-hyuga Hinat-ta." The final genin added, bowing slightly. As Emiya glanced them over once, Hinata noted her eyes seemed very dark, almost black.

"Well you don't have to worry about anything Emiya! We're all super awesome ninja, I'm gonna be the next Hokage, so we'll protect you from all those nasty bandits or kidnappers." Naruto had dropped his hand, and Hinata noticed the slightly forced texture of his cheerfulness.

"Thank you." Again Emiya's tone was practically emotionless and she didn't even bother to look at Naruto when replying.

"Alright Team 7, as of now we have taken charge of Miss Nakamura's safety till her sixteenth birthday. Naruto, you and Sasuke will take turns carrying her bag." Said bag was tossed to Naruto who easily shifted the small backpack into a more comfortable position. "Hinata, I want you to stay within visual range of her at all times. Straight line of sight, not with your Byakugan, unless the client specifically requests privacy." Nodding Hinata moved within a few feet of the girl and hesitantly smiled. Emiya showed her usual level of enthusiasm and ignored it.

"Did you have a reservation set up Miss Nakamura?" Kakashi asked as Naruto and Sasuke split off to take up defensive positions.

"Yes." The girl rattled off an address mechanically and motioned for Kakashi to lead the way. The jonin pulled his little orange book and slouched of down the street.

The trip was both short and un-eventful, before even Naruto could loose focus they had arrived at a fairly high-class inn and got to watch the sprite-like Emiya be given a key. The clerk mentioned dinner was included, for Emiya, and would be brought to the room within the hour.

"Miss Nakamura, if you wouldn't mind?" Kakashi inquired, eyeing her key openly. The girl handed it over without hesitation.

"Sasuke, Naruto. Clear this room." The key was flicked to Sasuke, who easily slipped up the stairs with Naruto shadowing him.

"This will just be a moment Miss Nakamura." The jonin said with an eye-smile.

"I have sufficient time remaining for my evening rituals." She replied quietly.

Hinata strained her ears, but only heard the slightest whispering of the door opening and then closing a few minutes later. Warned she didn't jump when Naruto jumped down the stairs and saluted Kakashi with a goofy grin.

"Room clear, Sasuke is keeping eyes on it till the client arrives."

"Key?"

"He still has it."

"Good. If you would show us the way?"

Naruto was more then happy to oblige and launched himself back up the stairs while the rest of them followed. Two flights of stairs later they moved down the hall and entered a room on the right. Inside Sasuke lounged against one of the walls where he could watch the door and window. As Emiya entered he rose to his feet and offered her the key.

The rooms furnishings were rather sparse, but excellent quality. The small backpack Naruto had acquired was set neatly at the foot of the bed. Emiya showed no interest in any of it as she drew a chair out from the small table and seated herself before turning too them.

"Miss Hyuga may remain, I would prefer the rest of you vacate my room."

"Of course Miss Nakamura." Kakashi smoothly replied, slapping a hand over Naruto's mouth and pointing to the door. "I'll procure us the room next door so pound the wall if you need us."

"O-okay." Waving slightly as the door shut behind her team Hinata sighed slightly and turned to face Emiya.

"I will not require any additional services, Shinobi. You may take the other seat at the table or the couch. I will not need either." The child-like client stated before Hinata could even try and think of a question.

"Right-t." Blushing Hinata quickly moved to the couch and seated herself, setting her pack down at her feet. Emiya turned and sat at the table like a porcelain doll.

After several minutes Hinata had memorized most of the room, layout, and texture patterns around her. Ten minutes later she gave up and let her gaze drift over towards Emiya.

Since turning to the table Emiya had barely moved, only the slightest rise and fall of her shoulder even indicating she was breathing. Her hands were clasped in her lap, her sandal clad feet dangling more then a few inches from the floor. Even the older girls hair wasn't out of place, still hanging uniformly down her back.

"_Dad would love her."_ Hinata couldn't help but think it as she watched her client. The girl was exactly what her father had been trying to make Hinata into. The quiet seemed to build, uncomfortable air growing and infecting all her thoughts.

"H-how do you do it-t?" she whispered to herself.

"My father wishes it." Startled by the response Hinata ducked her head before hesitantly looking into the other girls dark eyes.

"I-is that really a-all it t-takes?"

"It is all I have."

Hinata fought the urge to curl up. She really was a failure as a Hyuga. The girl before her, a few years older if not taller, would probably make a better daughter to her father. Such a simple answer, 'My father wishes it'. She could never meet her fathers expectations.

"Does h-he... N-notice you?"

"My daddy loves me." There, a small spark of life glowed for a moment in the coal-eyes before they went dark again. "Father constantly notices me."

"Does he pr-praise your ach-chivements?"

"You ask strange questions, Shinobi."

"D-does he?"

"Father doesn't."

"N-never?"

"Not since I was brought forth."

"I... I'm sorry." For a breath the little girl looked at her and Hinata saw something deep inside her. For a moment she saw a little girl under a mountain of unrealistic expectations. Then the moment was gone, but Hinata found she couldn't dislike Emiya anymore.

"I am sorry as well, Shinobi."

They didn't speak again until Emiya's meal arrived. The pale sprite ate smoothly, perfect portions and motions. She didn't eat fast, nor did she take her time. Once the meal was done and the dishes were removed the girl rose and pulled a few articles from her bag.

"I will be using the bathroom, Shinobi. I would prefer my privacy."

"O-of course." Hinata replied quietly. "One m-moment while I c-check it." activating her Byakugan Hinata focused her attention into the bathroom and wasn't surprised when she discovered nothing.

"S-sorry for the d-delay." She stuttered while turning to the other girl. When she did Hinata sucked in a gasp as she noticed a scrollwork of bright blue chakra-infused ink along the girls chest came into focus.

"Shinobi?"

"N-nothing." Hinata quickly stammered.

"Very well." As Emiya swept past Hinata glanced at the seal again. It was large, intricate, and a hundred-thousand times more advanced then her knowledge of sealing arts. Even the Caged-bird seal applied to branch Hyuga family members to seal away their eyes upon death wasn't as complex as the seal she could 'see' before her, though she understood just as much of it as this new seal.

As the door shut Hinata turned off her bloodline and walked towards the couch. Moving towards the wall she lightly rapped a few times and then moved to the window. By the time she had arrived Kakashi was leaning against the wall engrossed in his book.

"What's wrong?"

"T-the client has a s-seal I've nev-ver seen before." Hinata quietly spoke.

"Interesting. Not that you don't recognize the seal, no offense, but for a civilian to have one..." Kakashi slipped his book into a pouch and brushed a hand through his hair.

"Where is the seal?"

"On her ch-chest."

"Well then we'll assume it was placed their by her father, it isn't unheard of higher placed cabinet members to put seals on themselves and their families, but we will mention it when we arrive at our destination. Let me know if you see any changes to the seal during the journey."

"R-right." Hinata sighed.

"Feel free to get some sleep tonight. I'm fairly certain we'll be safe with ANBU on the streets." With that the Jonin maneuvered back through the window into the 'boys' room. Hinata moved back to the couch and was seated before Emiya exited the bathroom.

"I will see you in the morning, Shinobi." The girl stated, now in a flowing nightgown, as she re-packed her toiletries and clothing.

"O-of course." Hinata replied, pulling a few of her own toiletries now that the bathroom was open. She would set up the rolled mattress in the closet when she returned.

"Sleep well." The childish voice whispered from the bed as Hinata opened the bathroom door.

"Y-you too."

* * *

XII.

* * *

Well there's a new chapter for you. Not a ton happening yet but I did like getting to show some interaction between more people then just Team 7 (Expect me to try and do it more after this mission so feedback is awesome.). We also meet our mission client at the end!

Meck Viking brings up a good point that I thought I would explain for everyone.

"question.. considering this new deal with the client... wouldnt hinata notice naruto's seal or was it just that damn good to overcome that?"

Now my thinking is like this: The Byakugan sees 'chakra' so it will see seals that are actively channeling chakra. Naruto's seal isn't channeling all the time, but since he and Hinata train together chances are she's seen it by now, if she didn't in the academy (which is actually more likely). I'll currently go with the explanation that Hinata would bring this up at home, and then be told by Hiashi that she doesn't need to be concerned. In a family where most of them have the Caged Bird seal I can see Hinata letting it drop pretty easy. I may go back and add a scene like this to the story, or mention it later in the fic. Since it was a really good question that got me thinking I thought I'd share it and my reply with everyone =)

Thoughts and comments always appreciated!

Some reviews (Ok... only one... I'm sad now T.T ) I couldn't reply too:

Guest: "Are you going to give Kakashi the Mayeoko Sharingan?"

-Right now I have plans for how Kakashi gets his Mayeoko, I'll probably even keep it the same as cannon (power wise). However there is a possibility Kakashi might not live that long...

Edit: Well my plan is actually exactly the same as cannon... I did kinda assume Rin lived a little longer then Kishi let her so my timing with it was wrong to be 'Cannon'

Fun fact has come to my attention that destroys a few of my complaints with other authors concerning Hinata, specifically her stutter. While I'm still going to say if you give her a stutter DONT FU***NG fix it in three scenes (Real people work for YEARS to even partially overcome something like stuttering. One Naruto kiss isn't gonna make it go away, sorry.) I fell I have to inform you all that our beloved Hyuga does NOT, in fact, have a stutter. She is 'awkward', but does not have a stutter. Currently I think I'll keep it, just because I already had plans to fix it and it has been one of her defining characteristics in this fic, but in all future fics I will not be giving her a constant stutter. Kudos to Sendicard for noticing this.

**~Simply**_Waters~_


	13. Chapter 13

So I'm getting better at this. It's been just over a month since my last chapter and I'll try to keep updating at least at this speed!

Edit 1: Dec 19th.

Right, obviously pushed to fast and let myself post this too early. I have heard the complaints and will be doing editing as I find time. Till then please bear with me and accept my apologize for rushing. Added a few things to the AN cause it wasn't helping.

Also this chapter has some fairly graphic stuff too it. Implied rape, violence, and a hell of a lot of gore. With that in mind I am changing the rating to M until I get some feedback. Personally I think it could still fit the T rating, but I'd rather hear that from my readers then assume and get burned for it.

Talking

**Shouting/Inner voice**

_Thoughts/Techniques_

I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form.

* * *

XIII.

* * *

Waking up in the same room as Naruto was an interesting experience for his fellow male team-mate. Always one to rise early and be prepared almost before the alarm could go off Sasuke found Naruto's schedule to be quite different. The other boy didn't even rise after Sasuke let the alarm ring for a full minute. Slapping a hand onto the mechanism Sasuke frowned at the cap-covered blonde who continued softly snoring.

"Naruto." he was rewarded with another relaxed intake.

"Dumbass." the blonde once again didn't notice.

"Hokage?" a stab in the dark, but apparently Naruto didn't even respond to his favorite title while sleeping.

Finally accepting that he would have to physically reintroduce Naruto to reality Sasuke grabbed his shoulder and shook his team-mate lightly. That got a mumble and a sleepy swipe that pushed his hand off Naruto's shoulder, followed by the blonde rolling over and pulling the blankets tighter. Sasuke felt his eye start twitching as he heard a muffled "Five more minutes".

Grabbing the blankets Sasuke ripped them from the bed, exposing Naruto's pajama's to the world. Not done the conscious boy grabbed his co-workers feet and _heaved_. The end result being a blonde flying into the air before gravity reminded him that it was a universal constant.

With a satisfying _thud_ Naruto landed on his head and rolled to the far side of the room, coming to his feet with his hands spread and eyes alight with adrenaline. Sasuke felt his lips twitch into a smirk as he crossed his arms and meet Naruto's gaze.

"Morning Idiot."

"Morning?"

"Good news is today I found out you can sleep through the apocalypse. Konoha exploded last night."

"WHAT!" a streak of blonde reached the window before the sound of his words even reached Sasuke.

"I also just discovered your still an idiot. Breakfast is in five minutes." holding back a snicker Sasuke grabbed his pack, let himself out of the room and made his way to the lobby while Naruto seethed behind him.

Hinata and Emiya had already claimed a small table so Sasuke worked his way through the gradually filling room till he could join them. Pulling a chair back the boy let himself fall into the wooden construct as he bid the girls "Good morning".

"Good morning." their client replied coolly as Hinata smiled and looked around, for a blonde doubtlessly.

"Naruto should be joining us shortly. Last I saw he was still in his pajama's." he didn't even have to look up to know that Hinata was blushing, Emiya was unfazed though.

"When can we expect your Sensei? We have several days of travel ahead of us and I would prefer they begin early." something in the girls tone bothered him, even when expressing an opinion she just felt so... Lifeless.

"Kakashi could show up anytime from right this second to four hours from now. Your guess is almost as good as ours."

"I am surprised such tardiness is acceptable for Shinobi."

"S-sensei is... just th-that way." Hinata mumbled, glancing to the side. Sasuke withheld his own two cents, it simply wasn't his place to defend Kakashi's slothful behavior.

"I expect we will remain here until he does appear?"

"Unfortunately genin are not allowed to leave the village unless accompanied by a chunin or other authority figure. So yes, for now we wait." the pale girl nodded and crossed her hands lightly in her lap, within seconds she seemed to have stopped moving all together except for the minute movements of her breathing.

Sasuke found himself comparing her to a doll. Delicate features, pale skin, her white hair perfectly falling down her back, and her clothing not even showing a wrinkle. She was a masterpiece, something that could almost be alive.

Shaking his head lightly Sasuke let his fingers cross as he relaxed into a familiar pose from his academy days. Resting his head lightly against his fingers with his elbows on the table, he continued to keep his eyes moving though. Taking in everything around him and simultaneously letting it wash off him like water on a rock.

Sometimes rocks were cracked, and water would seep into them no matter what. Oddly enough it was something about Naruto that slipped past Sasuke's general uncaring for the world. Nothing about the boy himself as he loudly burst into the room, but how the entire atmosphere morphed around him. The minute he reached the bottom of the stairs the rest of the room quieted, and no-one took a second glance at the genin as he scurried towards them.

When Naruto joined them at the table the world once again returned to normal, with the exception of their table suddenly ceasing to exist. He could see it in their eyes. They knew the table was there, knew that it was occupied, but consciously avoided looking at it.

"_They don't want to see us."_ the reason stood out even more as Sasuke pondered that. He was rarely ignored, for better or worse it was hard to get people to _not_ notice him, and the oddity of the situation made it stand out now that he had noticed.

"You guys didn't eat already did you?" the source of their excommunication asked worriedly. "I'm starving!"

"No, w-we were waiting for you." Hinata quietly replied, pulling a menu free for each of them.

Fortunately the sight of four menus being opened drew a waiter to their table and shortly after breakfast had been ordered. The table remained quiet as Naruto was still yawning and trying to blink the last dregs of sleep away, the two girls hardly spoke as it was so Sasuke let the world supply it's steady background noise to stave off what could have become an uncomfortable silence. Fifteen minutes later they were served and proceeded to make short work of the various dishes. Emiya, Hinata, and himself eating properly and Naruto simply stuffing as much food down his throat as possible.

Use to the lack of manners from their comrade Sasuke and Hinata barely batted an eye. Emiya raised a single brow for a second but the momentary slip in her manners was quickly smoothed over and forgotten before anything could be said. Breakfast complete far too quickly the group had nothing to do but cool their heels till Kakashi showed up.

"Sensei is gonna get us in trouble eventually if he keeps this stupid late-streak going." Naruto finally grumbled half an hour after they had eaten, he didn't even bother raising his head from where it was pillowed on his arms.

Grunting in agreement Sasuke continued to watch the clientele of the establishment go about their business. There was nothing else to do for the moment since training took a backseat to their mission, on top of being frowned upon while outside the limits of the training grounds or personal residences.

"I'm boooooooored." Sasuke almost shook his head knowing what was coming next.

"Bored."

"Still bored."

"Booooring."

"Hey Sasuke! Guess what?" he didn't bother responding, not that it stopped the tirade that continued to pour from his team-mate.

"Think of words ending in g-r-y. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word?" Emiya's toneless voice cut Naruto's groaning short and drew a puzzled expression on the boy's face.

"What?"

"The third word is one that everyone uses every day."

"I don't get it."

"I told you. Think of words ending in -gry."

"Huh... could it be..." Naruto's eyes slightly unfocused as he started to consider. Sasuke didn't bother since Emiya had quite smoothly shut the blonde up and let him enjoy the

"If you listened carefully I already told you what it is." the girl mentioned quietly before once again turning into a statue.

"Gree... Gree.. Angry, Hungry... Draggy? No, that one isn't right. Wait! You already said it?" the girl nodded once and Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Can you say the whole thing again?"

"I can."

"Like, right now?" Naruto added after almost a minute of silence.

"I can."

"Well hurry up! Sheesh."

"No."

With an outraged "WHAT!", Naruto was on his feet and pointing a finger at Emiya.

"You just said you would! Why did you change your mind?"

"I said I _could_, Naruto. Not that I _would_." there was the smallest flicker of a smile on the girls face before it faded.

"GAH! That's so dumb." taking his seat again the exasperated boy started dropping his head on the table. "Already gave me the answer huh? But won't let me hear the whole thing now that I'm actually paying attention. Your worse the Iruka, don't ever be a teacher."

Five minutes of light _thumping_ later Naruto raised his slightly red forehead and glared at the girl.

"Alright I'm dumb, haha we all got a good laugh, what's the answer?"

"I'm sure it will come to you." her statement was immediately followed by the boy throwing his arms in the air and collapsing dramatically backwards in his chair.

"Ragged...ry? God damn it."

The next half-hour was mostly quiet. Naruto shooting out a word, made up over half the time, occasionally and glaring at Emiya every time his answer was wrong. Hinata patted the boys hand after a while and gave him an encouraging smile from time to time. Emiya's only further interaction with them was through the word "No" and once in a while "Naruto".

Kakashi's arrival was met with slightly more enthusiasm then usual with Naruto actually grabbing onto the mans leg and fake-sobbing into it. Sasuke simply grabbed his pack and got ready for a day of walking.

"Mah, it's alright Naruto. Was sleeping away from home really so bad?"

"Of course not Sensei!" Naruto dropped his act for a minute to punch the jonin's thigh. "I just needed to get that out of the way."

"Well if everybody is ready?" Kakashi's statement was met with three deadpan expressions and one nod from the only one of the children not well-acquainted with him. "Then lets move out." Emiya's pack was picked up by Naruto as they moved towards the door.

With that they pushed out into the main street of Konoha, the genin taking up formation around Emiya but not impeding her vision or path. Finding himself on the girls right side Sasuke settled into her pace and kept half-an-eye on the crowd as he didn't expect any trouble while they were still in Konoha. Moving at a steady pace they rapidly approached the gate and caught sight of another genin team prepping to leave.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled, waving at the dark haired boy leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. "Choji!" the blonde managed to contain himself enough to not immediately race over to the other trio of genin, instead keeping his position on Emiya's left until they reached the gate as well. While Kakashi stepped over to the guardhouse to fill out the paperwork for their team leaving Naruto took the chance to step over and punch the portly Akimichi lightly in the shoulder.

"What'chu all up to?" he inquired as Choji slugged him back with equal enthusiasm.

"Escort mission." the other replied.

"Asuma thinks we're ready for a C-rank mission!" Ino cheered, her eyes fixed on Sasuke. "We're growing up so fast!" Sasuke noticed she seemed to be trying to point more to her body then anything else.

"You guys too? We get to go to Spirit Country! I'm gonna be totally bad-ass and kick twenty bandits butts on the way!" Naruto boasted, puffing his chest out, Sasuke repressed the urge to laugh knowing it would be detrimental with a fangirl so close.

"Please, Sasuke will probably do all the work and you'll probably end up in the way." Ino snickered before slipping closer to the object of her interest.

"Pffft, I'll do way more work then that Jackass." Naruto sneered back. "I'm gonna be the next Hokage so of course I'm pure awesome."

"Right. And who's this little girl?" Ino inquired, looking pointedly at Emiya.

"She's our client!" Naruto informed her, "We get to guard her till her sixteenth birthday."

"Sasuke! You were gonna leave for years without telling me?" Ino instantly jumped at Sasuke, causing him to shift so that her flying glomp attack missed.

"Years? We're only gonna be gone for like two or three weeks." the blonde mentioned scratching his head.

"But you just... Oh." Suddenly Ino was standing next to Emiya whispering in her ear. Sasuke tried, with marginal success to avoid hearing any of the conversation.

"... have to rub... it's a fact, they do get bigger! If you do that of course... taller." after a few more seconds the Yamaka stepped back and grinned at the other girl while Hinata's face exploded in a vivid blush.

"So make sure you take my advice and you can look this good," the statement was followed by a pose, "so long as you remember not to mess with my... _interests_. Right?"

"Y-you shouldn't threaten a-a client Ino." Hinata mentioned, still red in the face.

"Oh you could use my advice on this subject too you know." Ino stated without missing a beat. "Besides it's just girl-talk, right Emiya?"

"Correct. I have no intention on moving on any of your... interests so there is no worry." the other girl smoothly added.

"It's really a shame you live in Spirit, I can always use another girlfriend!" the Yamaka heir sighed wistfully.

Further conversation was put off as the two jonin returned and gathered their separate flocks of genin and clients. As the gates opened the two teams moved out and shortly after parted ways down separate paths.

With the sun a respectful distance into the sky the air was only slightly cool, the normal mists dispersed hours earlier. Giant trees lined the well-packed dirt of the road and created a constantly shifting pattern of darkness and light before them. Lifting his head Sasuke let a quiet breeze flutter past his face and inhaled.

While he was quietly enjoying the change of scenery Naruto was practically racing back and forth along the path. First to one side to look at something, then the other when he got bored. Knowing he would calm down and the get bored far too soon none of the rest of Team 7 reprimanded the boy for breaking formation.

Two hours later Naruto finally reached his limit and returned to the formation with slumped shoulders.

"Shall we take a small break?" Kakashi inquired, directing his eye towards Emiya.

"If you like. I am capable of continuing this rate of travel for a while longer."

"No need to try and push yourself to the limit, we have plenty of time to reach the closest outpost." The man eye-smiled as he lead the group to a small clearing set next to the road.

A few roughly-hewn benches and an unlight fire-pit showing it was a common stopping place for travelers. The genin, no more then slightly winded, each grabbed a seat and slipped their packs too the ground. Naruto, after a few seconds of thought passed his second pack to Sasuke.

"Tired already?"

"No, but we're suppose to share so next stop I'll take it back." Deciding not to continue poking fun at the blonde as Kakashi had stated they were to share the extra burden Sasuke set the bag next too his own.

Fifteen minutes later Kakashi called them back to their feet and Sasuke slung the extra pack next to his own, hardly feeling the few extra pounds.

"At this rate we should reach Spirit in just under a week." Their Sensei informed them, his hand dipping into a pouch and pulling it's orange covered cargo free. Sasuke wondered if he shouldn't have brought a book or scroll as well.

"Well hopefully something freaking exciting happens along the way cause I'm bored already." Naruto griped. "Where the heck are the bandits? The missing Nin? Heck I'd take some kitten caught in a tree at this point!"

_'Definitely bringing a book next time.'_ Sasuke amended his earlier thought as the team continued to walk down the trail.

* * *

Three days.

For three days all he had to do was stare at the road and annoy Sasuke. They had only had to camp out once, the other two nights were spent at road-side inns. Naruto had particularly enjoyed those few hours since the innkeepers actually seemed to like him! One kind lady had even slipped him an extra serving of the thick stew bubbling on the hearth. It wasn't ramen by any stretch but the gesture had struck a cord in the blonde and he spent a hour after dinner helping the woman's husband patch a spot of the roof, Hinata had even brought out some tea for them!

With three days of travel under his belt Naruto had come to a decision. The world outside Konoha was amazing! Sure it was boring having nothing to do but walk down a road and try and make Emo-boy tear out his hair, but the few people they did run into were so different from anyone in Konoha that it was worth the long hours of bordem. He had talked with complete strangers, actually having conversations and not just shouting at their backs!

He had been surprisingly happy after walking out the gate of the only place he had ever known, moments of missing Iruka aside. The rattle of a cart behind them had all three genin smoothly helping Emiya to the side of the road where they continued their walk. Within a few moments an ox-driven cart pulled up and slowed to match their pace.

"Morning travelers!" the man in the front seat called with a wave.

"Good morning." Kakashi replied, his book slipping back into its pouch as a girls head poked up from the back of the wagon.

Naruto missed the next couple pleasantries that passed as he stared at the girl who leaned over the side of the small cart. Long dark hair, smooth skin, and the biggest brown eyes he had seen in his life. And those big eyes were locked onto him and him alone. Naruto felt a slight stirring somewhere in his gut and realized his face was red when her red lips split in a grin.

"Morning." She breathed. "I'm Aiko."

Naruto almost swallowed his tongue but managed to cough it back up as he took her offered hand in his own suddenly sweaty one. "Naruto."

"Very pleased to meet you Naruto, where are you five off too?"

"Just... just walking." Naruto stammered, Kakashi's voice in the back of his head the only thing that kept him from immediately spilling their destination.

"We're headed for the land of Spirits. We're suppose to meet a cousin there!" Her voice was light and soft, kind of like Hinata's but without the stutter.

"I, I hope you have a good trip." His reward was a brilliant smile as Aiko looked up at the driver and then waved.

"Looks like we're going again."

"Y-yeah." He couldn't pull his eyes off her as the cart started to pick up speed again, leaning back and seeming to enjoy the sun that filtered through the trees.

"Make sure your all careful, there were talk of some ruffians in the woods ahead." The man called back as he waved to them. Naruto decided to wave back for the heck of it.

"So are you ever going to close your jaw idiot? I felt embarrassed standing next to you." Sasuke's voice had a sharp quality to it Naruto hadn't heard in a while and it quickly brought him back to reality.

"Shut up! My mouth was shut almost the whole time!"

"Sorry, I mistook your eyes for your mouth cause you sure as hell were trying to eat that poor girl."

"W-was not!" He hadn't been, it was just so... strange for a girl to even notice him he had been caught flat-footed. She had decided to talk to him instead of Sasuke! "Your just jealous she didn't even notice you with that ten-foot pole up your ass."

"Lucky for you she didn't stick around for more then two minutes and realize your head is empty." The Uchiha shot back.

"Prick."

"Buffoon."

"Sissy."

"Dumbass."

For the next half-hour Naruto tossed insults back and forth with his team-mate, the heat of their argument drifting away after a few rounds. Eventually they wound up running out of names and resorted to good-natured shoving before dropping the matter all together. After that it was once again back to watching the trees ever so slowly shrink as they got farther and farther from Konoha.

Looking over to his second teammate Naruto was surprised when Hinata looked away. Normally she would blush or smile. Scratching his head in confusion he moved a bit closer towards her and smiled.

"So what's new Hinata?" While most of his interaction on the road had been with Sasuke that was just because Hinata was quiet.

"N-nothing." Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the curt response.

"Doesn't sound that way." He grumbled lightly.

"It's... It's nothing." Actually frowning now Naruto looked hard at his shy teammate. He had used that tone more then enough in his life to recognize it.

"If you say so. I'm here if you wanna talk." He finally exhaled, while he could usually figure out how to get Sasuke to talk if the bastard was acting weird Hinata was still much more of a mystery. That and it wasn't Naruto's style to beat information out of girls anyway.

Stepping back into his usual spot the blonde watched the road as it slowly twisted and turned. He made it half an hour before he couldn't help but give a sigh.

"Will something please happen? I'm losing my mind here!" Kakashi's head snapped up and Naruto ducked instinctively to avoid a slap that never came.

"Genin." His tone was sharp, all three ninja recognizing now was not a time for idle talk. "I'll continue to watch Emiya, you need to move ahead. I can hear a struggle and I need you to find out what's going on. Report back as soon as possible."

Naruto felt shock for a moment, then instantly created a single shadow clone that followed him as he joined Sasuke. The two boy's plowing into the forest before moving forwards as quickly as subtly would allow them. Naruto could hear Hinata moving up behind them and shifted closer to the road to give her the center position.

"Hinata?" Sasuke's voice was controlled, just loud enough to be heard by his teammates.

"_Byakugan._" A slight bulging of the veins along her eyes and Hinata was scanning the woods around them. "Nothing in four-hundred meters."

Sasuke upped their pace slightly since Hinata would most likely spot the enemy before they heard the slightly louder ninja coming. What felt like forever later Hinata suddenly went pale and almost collapsed. Naruto's clone moving next to her and bracing the slender girl.

"What do you see?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"Th-they... th-their..." That was all she managed before Hinata started puking, her bloodline deactivating as she grabbed Naruto's clone and shivered.

"Stop them." She whispered before either of the boys could work up the nerve to ask again.

Something in her tone made Naruto feel cold. Yeah Hinata was still a girl and reacted a little differently then he would. She was still a ninja though, and whatever was happening ahead of them was bad enough to make her sick and scared.

"Lets go Naruto. Hinata report back to Kakashi as soon as you can." Sasuke's tone was clipped but Naruto ignored it and jumped in behind the other boy as they practically flew forwards.

Soon they could hear voices and laughter. And then they heard the screams. Meaty smacks that Naruto could instantly recall, and different noises that neither genin had ever heard. Faint wisps of smoke drifted through the trees, a smell like cooking meat and wood. Slowing slightly the two boy's quickly moved into the trees as they thinned enough to see the burning cart.

A circle of men sat near the fire, rolling dice while clinking coins back and forth. Well-stained clothing, unshaven beards, and an overabundance of weaponry leaving next to no doubt their profession. A brace of rabbits were set on a slightly smaller fire as one of the men slowly turned them over the flames. And past the cart even naruto could see the stained grass that spread around the carts former owner.

He had kept his cool, barely, until he saw the actions taking place right next to the dead man.

"Ai... ko" And then all Naruto saw was red.

* * *

He was watching, after making a few clones to help Hinata back to the safety of their jonin. He had felt the shift in atmosphere the closer he got to the _Other_. His first glimpse of them after the first blood-curdling screech had already rocked the clearing.

Sasuke was effortlessly shifting and slipping through the blows of three larger men's swords, barely using the pair of kunai he had drawn until one of the men finally slipped up. As he overextended a swing Sasuke's knuckles drove into his jaw and the man learned for a brief second what flight was like before once again meeting the earth.

The Uchiha then took the offensive, far more used to fighting against multiple opponents then most genin he was able to smoothly disarm one with a kick and the other with a well-placed stab. The unarmed men were then easily dispatched with blows to the temple from the trained ninja.

Everywhere else blonde, black, and orange figures darted around. Mocking laughter and spine tingling shrieks echoing throughout the clearing as a few of the men tried to gather together if only to have someone to watch their back. A straggler stumbled, only to reveal the blonde clone behind him, kunai soaked to the hilt in blood as it dove again and again into the man's back.

Another man cried out in surprise and pain as his legs suddenly were awash with pain. Both Achilles tendons severed and blood spraying into the air as a pair of clones fell on him. Two separate hands raised and while the impact of the kunai couldn't be seen, the helpless screams and further splashes of crimson could. When the body stopped moving its killers moved easily to their feet, red stains on their clothing and arms seemed almost pale to the blazing inferno of their eyes.

"Your a big man. Aren't you?" Grating, but almost playful the only voice near the burning cart drew the watchers attention.

He was so tiny, the _Other_. Yet he didn't seem to care about the difference in stature as he calmly let the larger man re-buckle his pants, the no longer moving girl atop her former protectors corpse forgotten. Watcher couldn't bear to look at the damage that had been done to her face, and the red that seeped into what remained of her clothing meant she had been freed from her tormentor. Even as the comparatively giant man raised his chipped sword the boy before him didn't move.

"Move along, I don't have time for children." Like his body the giant's voice was deep and strong.

"Odd. What would you call what you were just doing?"

"Just a little fun."

"Then have a little with me. Will you let me play with you?" He couldn't see it, but the watcher knew the tiny figure was smiling brightly right now.

"If your so eager to die." And the giant swung. His blade cleaving through the air with a whistle until it met resistance, tearing through until its momentum finally gave out. With a grunt the giant started to draw his sword from the soil it had half-buried itself in, until his wrist suddenly ran like a spigot of red water.

"Aren't you so big, so powerful. Surely a guy like you can handle playing with little ole' me right?" _Other _casually asked as he leaned a foot onto the half-buried weapon and flicked his own free of blood.

"Ninja!" The man choked, grabbing his wrist to try and stem the fountain of red.

"What? Oh no, no, no." The _Other_ chuckled holding up a hand. "I'm not a ninja right now, I'm just a scared little child. Caught by a man three times my size and helpless." In a blur of motion the giants uninjured arm suddenly hung loose as a cut severed his bicep from the bone of his upper arm.

"P-please." The man pleaded, pressing his wrist against his waist in a desperate bid to stop the flow.

A quivering leg was next, a clone coming from behind and hamstringing the giant with brutal efficiency. Losing his support and ounce after ounce of precious blood the man collapsed to his knees, shoulders slumped as _Other_ stood before him, casually flipping a kunai from hand to hand.

"How many times did she ask?" Was all _Other _asked as he slowly dragged the kunai from the mans stomach up to his collarbone, leaving a thick line of red behind.

"Pl..ease... I.. have-"

"You don't wanna die? You want to live? Why? I know why." A steam of questions followed by a statement as the kunai buried itself in the mans side, the angle letting the point puncture a lung before it escaped it's sheath of flesh.

As the man's tears started to stream down his face _Other_ casually kicked him onto his back before planting a foot on his sternum and leaning down to look in his eyes.

"Because you know your going to hell. And when you get there you know the devil himself is going to keep you waiting until I'm there to pick up right where we're leaving off." Smiling again the chilling figure lifted himself away and turned to the few remaining bandits, huddled together and surrounded by a shifting ring of blondes.

"Run." The _Other_ whispered loudly enough for them to hear. "I'll only kill you slower if you don't."

When the ring of blondes opened none of the men trapped inside hesitated, sprinting as fast as they could force their adrenaline-fueled bodies to go. When the trees began to close in again they started fighting, tripping each other in an effort to slow _Other_.

"Naruto." This voice was one the watcher recognized, and he tensed as _Other_ turned to face Sasuke.

"I'll be done in a minute." Gleaming red eyes bored into the other genin and the watcher could see Sasuke get nevous. "It won't take any time at all." A red-soaked hand raised and suddenly the pack of small figures was gone, some slipping into the brush, others into the trees as they began tailing the retreating bandits.

"We didn't need too-"

"It's better if they are all dead. Isn't it? Don't worry, I'll kill them so you don't have too." Neither the watcher or Sasuke could move as _Other_ casually stepped forward and slit the throats of the men Sasuke had knocked unconscious. "Trash like this doesn't deserve a second chance."

His task done the boy smiled widely and started into the woods at a slow jog, gradually gaining speed until he passed from sight. Only then did the Watcher let his breath out and slowly move into view. His boots impacting the ground drawing Sasuke's attention. As black eyes met blue Sasuke tried to hid the way his body tensed.

"He shouldn't... shouldn't be like that." The Watcher whispered. "I... I don't even recognize him anymore."

"Don't you share memories?" Sasuke asked sharply.

"I don't have any of them right now. None of the clones have... died." Shaking his head Watcher moved to the giant who struggle for breath could be heard in the now silent air.

Kneeling at the mans side Watcher tried to hold back his own tears as the man flinched and his labored breathing hitched. His bleeding hand resting over the left side of his jacket.

"You... you were a bad person." Watcher stated. "But... He shouldn't have killed you. And... and never like this."

"Sis...ter..." The soon to be dead man wheezed, shifting his bloody hand over his coat and looking hopefully into Watchers eyes.

Following the thread of hope Watcher moved the mans hand and reached inside the mans ruined coat. A few seconds of rummaging and a piece of paper crackled against his hand. Pulling the item free Watcher saw relief in the dying man's eyes. Stained with spots of red and older spots of tears Watcher took his time unfolding the small letter. When he was done he refolded it and turned to Sasuke.

"Tell Kakashi not to come looking for us. One... One of us will be back when... when we find out who we are." Biting back tears Watcher folded the letter and straightened himself. A hand rubbed over his eyes and then through his hair before he started for the woods.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked. "I could come with you, we can beat him till he's back to normal." Watcher only replied with a chuckle.

"Thanks Bastard. But I think this is something I have to do. I have to decide who I'm going to be. Because right now... Right now I can't even recognize myself."

"We'll wait for you then. Just make sure you don't lose idiot."

"Sure." Smiling sadly Watcher jumped into the trees and raced towards where he could feel the _Others_ gathering.

He was a clone, Watcher knew that, but whatever had happened to the original had broken him. Snapped his mind and twisted him into something Watcher couldn't recognize as remotely like himself. He knew they had been trained to be brutal and efficient. He also knew they weren't killers. Well, hadn't been killers before this morning. Life was something precious and it wasn't their place to take it away from people. He let that thought steel him, prepare him for what was too come.

Every corpse he passed, cut to ribbons and with pure terror still visible in their glassy eyes, he paused at for a second. He memorized every face before closing their eyes to the world. He gave each of them a brief prayer and apology. And he promised each of them that he would bring _Other_ back from the brink.

He never considered dispelling, this was not an issue that _Other_ could deal with in his head. It would only lurk there and be half-done at best. He had to face him now, now that the madness was completely upon him and destroy the source of strength _Other_ was feeding off of. Rage, Hate, and Envy. Those weren't why he became a ninja. The only way for this issue to end would be a show of force, _Other_ would acknowledge what he had done was wrong or he would go mad.

It was a while, but eventually he found them. The clones _Other_ had created littering the trees as the master himself stood over the final corpse and howled. Watcher felt fear, but pushed it aside. He wasn't here to be scared, he was here to save himself.

"What have you done?" Every eye in the clearing, all blazing red, fixed on him as he slowly stepped out of the growing evening shadows.

"Justice." _Other_ was stained from head to toe in red, the gore dripping slowly from his hands as he casually tossed the last broken body away.

"No. This was murder." Forcing himself to meet the volcanic gaze before him Watcher continued to approach his twin. "You can't lie to me. You know as well as I do they never deserved to die. You overreacted, you decided to play god."

"I decided to _see_. I decided to actually open my fucking mind and LOOK!" _Other_ roared. "What would you have had me do? Beat them all unconscious and leave them there? Can you guess what would have happened the minute they woke up?"

"They..."

"They would have gone right back to what they were doing before we showed up." _Other_ snarled. "We didn't have enough people to watch them and continue the mission. So we did the world a favor and took care of some trash."

"We could have taken them to jail!" Watcher shouted back. "We could have carried them back to Konoha, we could have dropped them in the next town. This wasn't the only option!"

"So it's OK for them to die in Konoha where we both know they'd be executed for their crimes, but it's not OK for us to save ourselves the trouble? What are you, a fucking saint? Do you know how many travelers these fucking animals killed before we found them? Here!"

A necklace smacked against Watchers chest. Looking down he almost lost his non-existent lunch when he saw what it was made of. Some were small, others large, and all but a few had shriveled from age. The top piece of the disgusting amulet was the same as the rest, only it was so small it could have only come from one thing. A babies ear to crown a three-foot length of similar organs.

"When a dog goes rabid there is only one option." _Other _stated calmly. "You put it down before it hurts anything else. That's all we did here today."

"So when is it our turn? Who's place is it to decide when we've finally reached that point? When do we become the rabid dog?" Watcher choked out as tears welled in his eyes. "Because I'm you, or what you use to be, and I know this is too far."

"No. This was just far enough." The finality of _Others_ words made Watcher realize the time for talking had ended. He hadn't been able to convince even himself that the actions taken today were too much.

Wiping his tears away Watcher slid his feet into the proper positions. His hands lifting and forming tight fists. Only when his stance was perfect, just as Iruka had shown him again and again, did Watcher let his head rise and meet the red glare of his _Other_.

"Show me." Watcher whispered. "Show me I'm wrong."

"Gladly." With _Others_ words ringing through the darkening woods the red-eyed clones fell from the trees and threw themselves at their twin.

Spinning on the ball of his foot around the first kunai swing Watcher slammed a hand into the face of his attacker. The sharp punch blasting through the space the clones head occupied as it puffed into smoke. Lowering his torso underneath another wild swing the blue-eyed clone grabbed his twins waist and slammed it head-first into the ground before leaping away from the forming circle of blondes.

Grabbing a kunai from his own pouch Watcher deflected another attack before flipping the small knife into the chest of another clone even as his free hand dove into a second pouch to toss a handful of shuriken. A few puffs of smoke left him an opening to once again dive free from the shark-like circling by clones.

Rolling to his feet the blue-eyed clone snapped off a few more shuriken before ducking behind a tree to avoid the retaliatory barrage from the dwindling supply of clones. The first of the clones to peek around the tree was surprised to find nothing. Stepping fully around the piece of cover it never saw Watcher drop down from the branches above and slam a Kunai into his neck.

Even as the clone dispersed Watcher was once again moving up the side of the tree and into the branches. Jumping to a new tree he was forced to duck as a clone with a kunai came flying at him, several strands of blonde hair falling around him as the razor-edged knife almost grazed his scalp. Grabbing a branch Watcher flexed and managed to flip himself around the tree limb, rotating in mid-air and letting the kunai in his hand shoot forward and plant itself in the clones spine.

Looking around Watcher grimaced and dove for the clearing as the clones tried to converge on him again. The trees would lend them the advantage now that they knew he had hidden there. Rolling and diving away from shuriken and kunai Watcher desperately dodged the arsenal being launched his way. Eventually the clones either ran out of patience or equipment and dropped into the clearing with Watcher, this time finally encircling the panting clone.

"_Wind Technique: Air Bullet."_ Watchers head snapped around just in time to see the slight distortion of air as it slammed into his back. The bullet exploding immediately after and dispersing the remaining clones.

"Not enough. I wish you were right. I wish that we could keep turning the other cheek. I wish that we could be like the good guys in story books." Rising to his feet Naruto stalked to the point of impact, smoke and airborne dirt blocking the aftereffects of his technique. "But this is real life, not a story. I can't solve everything and make it all better for everyone involved just by insisting I can. I have to choose what matters to me and let the rest go."

A scratched and dirty hand slammed into _Others_ cheek, sending the unprepared genin flying. Catching himself while still in the air the blonde managed to get his feet underneath him in time to land, skidding to a stop before a solid tree.

"How..."

"No. I refuse to believe it! I won't let you give up. I won't let us get dragged down by this world. We'll make it better, we'll show everyone the better way!" Watcher stood tall as a breeze cleared the last of the concealing dust away, his shirt blown away and the just rising moon bathing him in fragile light. Pale lacerated skin still shown almost white as _Other_ rose to his feet and glared.

"You don't want to see the world for what it is!" Covered by the shadows of the trees the red stained _Other_ looked almost black. "You don't want to admit that we can't change everything. We can only find the pieces that matter and then give everything we have to protect them. If someone even thinks about taking those things that matter away we have to tear them to pieces! What's ours we protect with everything, no half-measures or mercy for the fuckers in our way!"

"YOU'R BLIND!" Each fragment of Naruto screamed at the other, kunai appearing in a flash.

"We're suppose to be a hero!" Breaking into a sprint Watcher raced towards his opponent.

"We're suppose to be a NINJA!" Retaliated the _Other_ as he also leaped towards his twin.

Two bodies collided in the flattened center of the clearing over the sound of tearing flesh. Neither moving as blood poured into the ground between their locked forms.

"You would never be strong enough. This is the only proof you'll understand." One figure stated quietly as he stepped back. His opponents kunai buried to the hilt in his shoulder.

"Heh... I... Guess you might... have a point." The other replied, staring at the knife in his heart. "Do me a favor?"

"If I can."

"Try to... to walk the line... maybe we... can't be both-" A cough brought a wave of red over the pale figures lips. "But can we... can we at least try?"

"Yeah... As long as we remember whats really important." His black twin replied, stepping forward and gently lowering his dying brother to the ground.

"He had... a sister." Another blood-filled cough as an even further stained letter was lifted into view.

"Then he should have been with her, protecting her. Instead he chose his own path." Black hands took the letter, then crumpled it before the others eyes. "I can't save her from his choice. Better she doesn't know what her brother became."

"We're a right... right bastard now... Aren't we?"

"No. We made a choice. We chose to be ninja instead of heroes. We decided to act not only as judge, but executioner." Gently a black hand swept through pale gold hair. "We chose to accept what the world _was_, instead of what we _wanted_ it to be."

"That... really sucks. But maybe it's for... the best that we... we grow up now." His voice was barely a whisper now, but his twin continued to softly comfort him.

"Yeah. I'll miss you." As he said it the black figure slowly let his head come to rest against it's white copy, tears clearing small trails along his face. Watchers death-rattle gently stirred Naruto's hair and then every thing went quiet.

For a time Naruto simply let himself cry, gave himself those moments alone with his grief. Mourning the loss of his dreams, but comforted knowing that he would have new ones. Ones that would make life better for him and his precious people. When the tears finally stopped he rose and looked down at the personification of his old life.

"You just couldn't survive this life. So I'll have to carry on for us both." Slowly he crossed Watcher's hands over his chest, around the kunai he couldn't bring himself to remove. "But you'll always be with me, tempering me. The voice in my head that keeps me from going completely over the edge and becoming just a rabid dog ever again. So don't lose hope in us completely."

Turning Naruto started back for the trail, there was a stream along the way he would use to clean the worst of the bloodshed off. As he walked he made sure to stop by every corpse he had left behind him. To each face Watcher had left burned in his memory. To each poor soul who had made the wrong choice. To each of them he apologized for being the one who had to bring them down, but not for the fact that he did.

Reaching the stream Naruto stripped his gear and immersed it and himself into the frigid water. Scrubbing with a handful of moss until it wore away in his hand. Even after the second handful of moss Naruto didn't feel clean, nor after the third, and even when his skin broke and started bleeding during his fifth handful Naruto couldn't stop.

He had stopped them from ever hurting anyone again. They had all made the choice to become murderers and rapists. They would have been put to death the minute they were brought to a court-room. But their blood was still staining his hands and he just couldn't get it off. Watcher was there, in the back of his mind, melding their memories together and letting him see just how twisted his actions had been.

"I need you."

Two sets of dead eyes met each other as Naruto gazed into Emiya's black eyes.

"You can't have me." He couldn't seem to work up the energy to cover himself, the blood that covered him in his mind should have been more then enough.

"When Daddy comes for me it will take a cold-blooded monster to stop him. I need you because your exactly the type of monster that Father wants to guard me. On my birthday you will be at my side." The girls eyes almost teared up, but by the end of her sentence they were once again simply blank pools. "You will keep me... alive when no-one else can."

"Why not." He couldn't help it as the laughter rose through his chest. He couldn't hold it back as his head tilted and Naruto laughed at the madness of his world.

* * *

XIII.

* * *

Alrighty. This is where Naruto starts to really, really break away from his cannon counterpart. He has accepted that he can't save everyone, that someone is going to die and he has to do everything in his power to make sure it's people who deserve it instead of people who don't. I didn't dive into the actual Naruto's head yet, and if you've noticed most of my scenes are usually written how the main character in them perceives things. Thus why while we were following Watcher (the personification of the old Naruto) I didn't go into what was going on in Naruto's (_Other's_) head.

This last scene is getting an overhaul, and I might be adding what was going to be the first scene in chapter 14 to the end as well to help clear it up. Yes Watcher took a shot that should have dispelled him, I won't be having clones do this again, since he was the first clone created (1/2 Naruto's reserves) I decided he could probably sacrifice enough chakra to keep himself stable. The subsequent stabbing was more for dramatic effect and I apologize again for breaking the rules just to build tension. I wanted this to be a very deep moment for Naruto and one of his alter-ego's poofing away didn't seem enough for me.

Naruto is not going right off the deep end to become _Other_. _Other_ was suppose to be the opposite side of the coin from Watcher, i.e Naruto's darker, more Kyuubi influenced half. They are both him and he will end up as a mix of the two (leaning more towards _Other_ since that half came out on top) not one or the other. Again I'm sorry I pushed this out before properly going over it and catching just how confusing it would be for others to read.

I don't mean Hinata to come across as squemish, but I figure having a perfect view of someone raping a woman ontop her deceased Father/Guardian would be enough to send her over the edge. She also really didn't need to see what happened when Naruto snapped.

Same deal with Sasuke. I didn't really give him much of the action, but that was more because Naruto had enough clones racing around that there wasn't a whole lot left for him to do by the time he wrapped up his first three opponents.

Also, I shouldn't need to say this but Ninja beats Normal Person... handily. Thus why Naruto ripped through them like damn tissue paper.

OK, no new techniques so straight to Good questions and review responses:

First Guest for chapter 11 (Name in the future would be helpful!):

I hope this chapter kinda illustrates a little of why I'm not sure this will be a NaruxHina story. Naruto is going to lose quite a bit of what attracted Hinata too him in the first place throughout this story and it wouldn't be fair to force her to be with a person who she can't love fully, or who can't love her back, just to satisfy a pairing.

Off on a kinda related raging... well maybe not quite raging... tangent here for a sec:

To put the rage-base to death I'm not going SasuxHina though there will be one-sided affection there (For freaking plot purposes) Hinata is not into and probably never will be into Sasuke like that. Personally I see potential there but it would require a lot of different things to happen, one of which I know for sure won't in this story even if a few others will. Gah... I almost _want_ to do a story with this pairing just to prove it can be done well at this point cause that's the only reason I can come up with for how detested this possible pairing is.

Regardless, Chance of SasuHina this fic is next to non-existant so be at peace and stop dropping my story just cause I hint at things. I understand most of the time in a fanfic when a guy notices a girl for more then a half second they end up together, that isn't how I plan to operate in this story. When I actually DO something that makes you unable to read the story feel free to part ways, though I hope you could let me know _why_ so I can at least thank you for taking the time to read at least part of my work and wish you luck finding the story your looking for.

Guest for chapter 12:

No worries my friend. I'm slowly gaining reviews and while I'd still love to hear more from my readers I'll take every scrap of input I can and be grateful for it. Glad your enjoying the story and I hope this chapter kept with meeting your expectations!

Side note: Grammar is my worst enemy, so don't be worried I'll snap at you for pointing out I have problems with it. I am still working without a beta and I know that hurts the quality of my story. I'm working on improving and eventually will finally get myself into the habit of writing more frequent and consecutive updates so a beta can actually work with me instead of me popping up randomly sometime from a week to six months from the last chapter and say "Here, edit this". Till then I'm doing the best I can and I thank you for bearing with the atrocious grammar issues =)

Ethorin had a good question:

though I do wonder how you are justifying the Kyuubi being able to talk to Naruto through the seal... I suppose it has something to do with 'intent'?

My response is: Yes. Naruto is the one who can decide to hear the Kyuubi or not. Basically so far the reason he's been able to talk with the fox is because he was desperate for someone, or something to talk with him. Eventually he will learn how to make the Kyuubi heard whenever NARUTO decides he wants to listen too him.

Ok, I think that covers it. Once again if you haven't seen it yet Chapter 1 has been redone so feel free to drop me a note on if you think of the new intro... and that about covers my AN spiel.

Thank you again for reading!

**~Simply**_Waters~_


	14. Chapter 14

This is not a chapter. This is a conclusion.

Alright. So after going through things in my head and with how long it's taken me to get around to trying to do another chapter of this story I've reached a conclusion…

Basically I suck as an author. Admittedly I still don't think I'm all _that_ bad either, but definitely not in the league of say Kenichi618 or Gabriel Blessing to name two excellent examples.

I like longer stories, most of the time I usually don't even pay much attention to stories under 60-100 thousand words, but I haven't reached the point where I can plan out a logical sequence of events and trials with the respective character developments enough to justify writing a story of that length myself.

Ultimately I don't think I can finish this story properly, but I don't want to just leave it here so I figured I would take a page from 'Megii of Mysteri OusStranger' and outline some of what I had in mind to at least show what some of my plans were and maybe get lucky enough to inspire someone to write something great cause I suck at it. Feed my Fanfiction addiction!

* * *

Right. Land of Spirits:

We've met Nakamura Emiya and have seen the basic idea for this mission, i.e. protect her for a few weeks. The scene with the bandits came and passed and Naruto has had the first of his major breakdowns for this mission. Emiya has expressed an interest in him and that is pretty much where I left off.

As I mentioned there would be some interaction between Naruto and Kakashi, mostly along the vein of Kakashi consoling Naruto and lightening the impact as much as he can. Naruto and Sasuke's relationship will end up taking a step back, but ultimately the event will pass them over without much trouble. Hinata's major issue will actually have very little to do with Naruto and much more to do with the rather graphic display of one of the potential dangers to her specifically in her line of work, reading and lectures can only go so far to prepare her.

No other events impede the mission until they arrive at the Nakamura estates and meet Tatsuya, Emiya's 'Father'. She only refers to him by his title or 'Father'. Naruto ends up spending much more time with Emiya then the rest of the team as she requests that he be around her more often. Emiya doesn't speak much but mentions having someone of Naruto's 'mindset' will make sure her 'Fathers' wishes come true.

Things remain peaceful until a few nights prior to Emiya's birthday when Danzo leaves Konoha to pay Tatsuya a visit, which is actually a screen for him to have a discussion with Naruto. His initial idea of mind controlling Naruto with Shisui's eye is countered by the Kyuubi, the beast refusing to allow his container (and itself by proxy) submit to another persons will through the use of an Uchiha eye. Naruto is not informed that the Kyuubi repels the attempt, or even that it occurred.

During the discussion that Danzo recovers with the older man enforces the idea of consequences for Konoha if the mission fails, outlining the diplomatic fallouts and how badly Konoha could be perceived in Spirit and its neighboring lands. Loss of missions which translates to loss of income, leading to less equipment for shinobi's, on top of Spirit potentially being willing to collaborate with another major village against Konoha in the future. He ends the discussion with an offer to teach Naruto and explain some of the boy's shadowed history before leaving the estate to return to Konoha.

Next event is the party, which goes remarkably well all things considered, I'd probably throw in a scene where the genin getting to dance and enjoy the party a bit as well. After the majority of the parties guests leave a man breaks in, carrying a small coffin and manipulating water to kill anyone in his way. After confronting team 7 the water he has been using takes the form of a woman, later separating from the man to occupy Kakashi while the man continues on towards Emiya.

This individual is actually Emiya's biological father and her 'Daddy', Hibiki Nakamura, who was supposedly killed twenty years early along with his wife. They were actually experimented on by a joint Konoha/Suna team headed by Orochimaru, the product of their research turning Hibiki's wife into a semi-sentient guardian composed of water for Hibiki. This research would later be used during the sealing of the One-tailed raccoon in suna, giving Gaara his 'Automatic Defense'.

**Side Note:** This idea formed mostly from how Gaara continues to have rather protective sand post One-tails removal, and that defensive move he pulls during the fourth shinobi war takes the form of his mother… Also he is still the only Jinchuriki I have seen in cannon with a manifestation of his biiju's power that interacts with the physical world outside channeling tails or merging with them, as such I thought it would be kinda cool to have a reason for that besides 'Well the one-tails obviously does that, duh!'.

Hibiki reveals that Emiya actually died shortly before his capture, her revival was accomplished recently through the impure-world resurrection which explains the seals Hinata can see (Ok, for all you who thought she had a demon caged in her… Shame on you. Seriously, that would just make her waaaaay to similar to Gaara.). She was revived as part of the deal Tatsuya brokered with Orochimaru after Hibiki married the woman he wanted. Her resurrection is not perfect, but additional seals to mimic a more life-like appearance were added though her 12-year old body cannot age or even replicate aging leading to her childlike appearance. Part of the process also allowed Tatsuya to enforce an order that she refer to him as 'Father' and do her best to avoid 'death' like a normal individual.

After explaining the situation Hibiki reveals the coffin he carries will undo the resurrection, freeing his daughter from her puppet like life. Emiya then turns to Naruto and tells him "This is why I needed you", Naruto inquires about how the coffin works and listens to Hibiki's explanation. Afterwards he and the rest of team 7 step aside.

After hugging his daughter Hibiki sets the coffin down and prepares for the sealing, only for Naruto to cut him down from behind to the shock of everyone but Emiya. Crying Naruto quietly chants "For Konoha, all for Konoha" While Emiya alternates between cursing and thanking him as she cradles her daddies body, buried natural instincts warring with the programing she received after her resurrection. With Hibiki dead his wife's spirit can no longer sustain its existence and perishes as well, freeing Kakashi to stumble onto the scene. As they all vacate the room later Naruto discretely creates a few clones that slip back in and take off with the coffin.

The next few days are extremely tense as Naruto faces down all three members of his team over his decision, both individually and in groups, explaining his reasoning as much as possible. Emiya refuses to be around him any longer as well, stating his "Purpose is finished".

**Side note:** This is actually an incredibly grey area type mission. I'm not sure how Cannon Naruto would go about it… well obviously besides a different direction then I took. He would probably end up beating everyone involved up and making them all a big happy family again somehow. Kinda interested what some of you guys/gals (readers) think would happen. For the sake of making it more 'Cannon' appropriate we can ignore the bandit encounter and just assume they arrived at the Nakamura estate with no problems.

After the team is released Naruto makes a few more clones after they travel a bit and sends them off, refusing to say why when asked. These clones wait for a few days before breaking into the estate with the coffin the previous clones had hidden and confront Emiya in her room with an offer to finish her daddies task.

That would be the end of the Spirit mission.

Danzo, after finding that Shisui's eye is not powerful enough to chain the Kyuubi to his will in its current state instead begins re-working his plans, most notably he sets up plans to take Naruto under his wing as an apprentice of sorts. With his knowledge of wind techniques and complete history of Naruto's lineage he believes he has enough cards to get the Jinchuriki on his side with time.

This puts us near the start of the Chunin exams and at this point I didn't have very many concrete plans for what to do during the exam. All the rookie nine would still be entered and I don't think I was going to change much up over the first two tasks or even the Prelim fights (besides throwing in some new techniques or strategies for varying genin).

During the month worth of training time instead of meeting Jiraiya Naruto would instead look up Danzo. Initially for the information Danzo has about his past, but then eventually accepting the mans assistance in training for the finals. Danzo, after Naruto agrees to train with him, informs Jiraiya that the boy is under his wing and will be prepared for the finals.

"Your assistance will no longer be needed. In fact, you can continue treating the boy just as you have for the last twelve and a half years."

Jiraiya, frustrated and upset over the course of events tries to talk Naruto into taking his training instead. But when asked by the boy who his mother was he refuses to answer, under oath not to reveal Naruto's parentage yet, and Naruto then informs him he doesn't need more people hiding things from him in his life before running away. After talking with Sarutobi Jiraiya accepts that at the current time he won't be able to spend much if any time with Naruto.

While Jiraiya is storming around the village after the discussion he comes across Hinata training herself into the ground without proper supervision. He ends up giving her some pointers over the next few days before learning she is Naruto's team-mate and then offers to teach her while Naruto and Sasuke are busy with their respective teachers, hoping to start easing his way into Naruto's life through his team if he can't move in directly.

Finals again, haven't really planned many large differences at this point until the invasion starts (besides Hinata participating instead of sitting on the sidelines). Danzo joins Sarutobi inside the barrier jutsu, but for his own agenda. When Orochimaru summons the first and second Hokages he delays them, telling Sarutobi his errant pupil is "His mess to clean up" while taking the time to talk with the undead, specifically the First.

One of the major topics is the fact that Sarutobi did not retaliate or even lend significant aid to Uzushiogakure, home of Naruto's mother, and more importantly Danzo's fiancé. He elaborates on how the 'Will of Fire' has become a corrupted concept that is almost pacifistic, leading to the current decline of Konoha as the major power in the Elemental Nations.

End results are practically the same, with Sarutobi being forced to seal the first, second, and Orochimaru's arms before croaking.

Naruto ends up facing Gaara in full One-tailed mode and gets fucking destroyed, wins the fight, but his condition is similar to Lee's in cannon by the end of it Kyuubi enhanced regeneration being the only thing that kept him from dying outright. Gaara still gets snapped out of 'must kill all things' mode.

Side note: To everybody who just cried foul on account of "But the Kyuubi can just heal him up no problem like always?!"… Bite me cause I give no fucks. There are definitely some things that even Naruto's retarded regeneration can't handle and Gaara is completely capable of doing some of those things too him especially with Naruto not having tapped into the Kyuubi's chakra as much/at all compared to cannon.

Post invasion next big article to address is the Chunnin promotions, Danzo actually standing to speak on Naruto's behalf as despite his current hospitalized condition he almost single-handedly stopped a major threat to the village, however despite Danzo's mention Naruto is the only member of Team 7 not granted a chunnin promotion. Teetering back and forth over if I want that to be because of Danzo manipulation so it could have gone either way. Promotions over Danzo takes over as 'acting Hokage' until a fifth can be found.

Danzo instructs Jiraiya to locate and return Tsunade and agrees to let him take Hinata along. Don't have much on the specifics of this arc except Tsunade does agree to 'temporarily' return by the end of it if only to heal up some of the more extreme cases in Konoha (Naruto, Kakashi, Lee if I was mean to him… that kinda stuff)

**Side note:** No Hinata will not get the Rasengan… though she would probably master it in a fifteenth of the time it took Naruto with her absurd in comparison control the amount of chakra required is just too much for her to really adapt it into her style.

After Tsunades return Danzo uses the impure world resurrection technique to bring Dan back to unlife and then uses Shisui's eye to convince Tsunade that Dan is alive and she left him alone for years after Nawaki's? death. Lacking any defense against the manipulation Tsunade takes a place at the hospital but does not become the fifth Hokage.

**Side note**: He'll obviously be sneaky about it and use far more commands then just "Dan is alive" to convince Tsunade. Considering Shisui's eye is strong enough to over-ride the commands in the impure-world resurrection technique and the firsts cells to cut the recharge time I think he can manage.

Next major event is the Sasuke retrieval arc. Naruto is still recovering and at practically 0% potential fighting strength is the one to confront Sasuke verbally before Sasuke leaves Konoha. Leaving Hinata to be the muscle in the actual retrieval after promising Naruto she would bring their team-mate back.

Again no major changes besides the final confrontation being between Hinata and Sasuke instead of Naruto and Sasuke. In the fight Sasuke alludes to the fact that Hinata will always pick Naruto over him so there really isn't a reason to stay in Konoha if he can get better training elsewhere.

Devastated by the loss and her failure to keep her promise Hinata agrees to accompany Jiraiya on a training trip for a few months/years. After they leave Danzo reveals Naruto's heritage to the village at large and takes him on as an apprentice, beginning the process of molding him.

Utilizing Shisui's eye and his own political power Danzo manages to have Konoha gain a significantly larger presence in Suna, though they keep a 'kage' a Konoha Advisor is granted almost equal powers. Because of the potential relationship between Naruto and Gaara Danzo also lends aid to the Suna Jinchuriki in the form of lessons and political assistance as the boy begins his own steps towards becoming a Kage.

Because of the drastically changed relationship between Suna and Konoha the other nations begin to probe their borders and send small sorties. Naruto is given leave to join the defensive effort and eventually gains the nickname 'Redemption', for his many rapid relief and POW recovery missions, which he tattoo's over his left eye (similar to Gaara's tattooed 'love').

At what would have been the start of Shippuden I was planning for Danzo to put Naruto into the position of Suna's Konoha Advisor. One more small step towards the boy's ultimate goal of Hokage. Major issues in Suna would actually be stemming from Temari running an 'underground' resistance.

* * *

And that was where I ran out of juice for planning, or Naruto in general… The fact that that was also the week where I read about the Ten-tails came back to life while the two strongest bijuu still ran rampant AND the nine-tails had to gather chakra for the first time in the WHOLE FUCKING SERIES are completely coincidental… Totally… Also, grats NaruHina Fans… NaruHina is pretty much solidly entrenched as the Cannon pairing.

At least she grew out of the stalking phase before trying to have a relationship… If she had been creeping in Naruto's room talking about how she likes to watch him sleep I would have probably given myself brain damage beating my head with something large, heavy, and very-very blunt.

If you don't know I still don't own Naruto... So now you know.

I'm probably washing my hands of this fic, just as I did 'One Little Oversight', chances are not high for me doing anything with the various storyline pieces I left hanging. If I do decide to do anything with them I'll definitely start a new fic and make sure I actually... like plan out an ending. Till then I'll probably do a couple more one-shot type things and get back to 'Between Fire and Ice' which is probably the best story I've done to date (Chrono Trigger, but give it a shot) and the only one I have a proper outline for. Kinda feels nice to be... done, if we can call it that, with this.

Thank you all for putting up with me so far and I'm sorry to drop the ball like this. If you liked my stuff try out Kenchi618, Durandall, Majin Hentai X, Sir-Shun, or Morta's Priest just to name a few... Actually hit up my favorites, lots of good stuff in there from a couple fandoms.

~SimplyWaters~


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